1925 cartoon depicting rise of China, India, Africa over US, West goes viral a century later. Here is what it showed.

Amid the ongoing debate over trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, including a whopping 50 per cent tariff on India, a century-old political cartoon has resurfaced on social media and gone viral. Popular US cartoonist Bob Minor in 1925 had drawn a cartoon showing the balance of global power one day shifting from the western countries that posses money and guns, to China, India, and Africa that were poor in that sphere, but rich in people.

The cartoon was originally published in the socialist Chicago newspaper Daily Worker. Several years later, in 2024 it was republished by the website scrapsfromtheloft with the caption, “Almost 100 years ago, famous US cartoonist Bob Minor had a realisation: Western nations ruled the world because they were rich in money and guns. China, India, and Africa were poor in money and guns but rich in people. One day, the balance of power would shift. Minor drew this cartoon in 1925. Now, 99 years later, the people of the world are waking up and realising something has changed.”

Here is the cartoon posted on social media.

In this political cartoon three colossal figures representing China, India, and Africa loom over three dwarf characters labeled US Imperialism, French Imperialism and British Imperialism, all armed with whips.

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The message that comes out of the cartoon is that the Western nations ruled the world with money, guns, and military force but they always overlooked the potential that the underdeveloped and economically weaker countries like China, India, and Africa had in terms of people and culture.

It also points to a future shift in global power, where these dominated nations would rise up and probably surpass the western powers that once sought to control them.

The post's timing coinciding with Trump's tariffs that have hit countries like India, China and African countries like Libya, South Africa, Algeria and Tunisia has intensified discussion on whether Minor's vision is now becoming reality.