The World's Plunderers

What it is

This is a political cartoon titled The World's Plunderers, drawn by Thomas Nast and published in Harper's Weekly on 20 June 1885. It shows a globe at the centre, with a figure representing Bismarck reaching for Africa with a 'German Grab-Bag', a figure representing Russia's Alexander III reaching for Asia with a 'Russian Grab-Bag', and a large British figure holding a 'British Grab-Bag'.

Why it matters

The cartoon comments on the era of colonial competition, when Germany under Bismarck sought territories like Zanzibar and Russia under Alexander III pushed into Afghanistan, while Britain already controlled much of the world. It shows how an American cartoonist viewed Bismarck's colonial ambitions as part of a wider, cynical scramble for empire among the great powers.

Look closer

• What does the cartoon suggest about who benefits most from colonial expansion?
• How does Nast use the grab-bags to comment on all three powers equally, or not?
• What is left out of this cartoon about the people living in the colonized regions?