The Thinkers Club

The cartoon depicts the suppression of freedom of expression within the German Confederation under the Carlsbad Decrees, which stipulated for rigorous surveillance and censorship of universities following a surge in student violence and radicalism.

The plaque on the left bears the inscription: "The most important question of today's meeting: how long will thinking be allowed to us?"

The eight professors on the caricature are muzzled, which points out the radical nature of the mentioned political system.

Therefore, the intellectuals are left only with their right of thought and prudently pose the question, how long they will still be allowed to think.

The plaque on the left bears the inscription:'The most important question of today's meeting: How long will thinking be allowed to us?'