Puck — June 12, 1878 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents anti-communist propaganda through multiple cartoons attacking the Paris Commune of 1870. **Top panel**: "First lessons in Communism" shows an adult instructing a child to steal ("Help yourself"), satirizing communism as theft. **Middle section**: "How the Commune is supported" depicts figures providing money to communists, suggesting financial manipulation. **Bottom panel**: Shows violence and chaos, with text stating "Nobody has an exclusive right to property (see particular) under Communism" — sarcastically mocking communist ideology as justifying lawlessness. **Right side**: "The Communistic Snake" depicts the movement as a dangerous serpent growing longer. The overall message equates communism with criminality, violence, and social disorder. This reflects American elite anxieties following the 1870 Paris uprising, portraying the ideology as inherently destructive rather than engaging substantive critique.