Impact of the Second World war on civilian populations in two countries between 1939-45 Flashcards
Intro/thesis
Impact on casualties was very important, not only because of the direct impacts (death), but also how they caused economic and social fracture.
Paragraphs
-Impact on role of women
-Impact on economy and standard of living
-Impact on human lives
-Impact on politics/nationalism
Impact on role of women- examples
Britain:
-At the beginning of the war, only single women aged 20 to 30 were called up for war work, but by mid-1943, almost 90% of single women and 80% of married women were working in factories, on the land, or in the armed forces.
Germany:
-In 1939, all single women in Germany had to report for compulsory labor service in war-related industries. They served as welfare workers, auxiliaries in the armed forces, and as guards in concentration camps.
-The entry of women into the work force renewed debates about equal pay. Some limited agreement on equal pay was reached that allowed equal pay for women where they performed the same job as men, but most employers managed to find a way around the issue of equal pay, and women’s pay remind on average 53% of men’s pay.
Impact on role of women- explanation and historiography
Britain:
-With thousands of men away serving in the armed forces, British women took on a variety of jobs during the Second World War. They also played a vital role on the home front, running households and fighting a daily battle of rationing, recycling, reusing, and cultivating food in allotments and gardens.
-Virginia Nicholson: Britain’s wartime women gained a new sense of power’. With the second world war raging, women were conscripted into work of national importance, exploding the myth that they weren’t up to it.
Overall:
-Hunt and Watson: There is no doubt that [the Second World War] broke down some barriers to women’s advancement in society. Yet, in the end, when the men came home, had attitudes and opportunities really changed much?
Impact on economy and standard of living
Britain:
-During the war, the British people faced the blitz. Consequently, parts of many British cities (e.g. London and Liverpool) were destroyed. This had a negative impact on the economy, infrastructure, and ability to recover after the war.
-Rationing was introduced in 1940 because of the decreasing number of supplies entering Britain. The Government organized the rationing of foodstuffs, clothing, and fuel during the war.
Germany:
-The people also had to endure rationing as a result of naval losses. Consumer goods became increasingly limited because of the war and the Nazi economic policy of autarky. For example, meat imports suffered because they were at war with the US, a key supplier throughout the world.
Impact on human lives
Britain:
-70,000 civilians died, largely due to German bombing raids during the Blitz.
-The British government organized the evacuation of children from urban to rural areas. This policy began almost immediately when war broke out but was reintroduced more forcefully when the blitz began in 1940. On 1 September, the government had initiated Operation Pied Piper, which would see the evacuation of 800,000 children.
Germany:
-Over the next 3 years: 61 German cities were attacked. 300,000 – 400,000 Germans were killed in the raids.
-Another consequence of the bombing campaign was the growing number of refugees. People would flee the Ruhr area during the early stages of the bombing and in 1945 escape the oncoming Soviets by going west.
Impact on politics/nationalism
Britain:
-Many of the experiences of everyday life during the war crossed regional, cultural and class barriers in Britain and created a strong shared sense of purpose and experience. Rationing, bombing, conscription, the loss of a son or husband – all these trials and tribulations fell on the rich and poor. Increased contact between people of different backgrounds simultaneously broke down social barriers and heightened awareness.
Germany:
-Opposition to Hitler grew during the war but the apparatus in place to deter it was generally successful. The threat of the Gestapo and concentration camps were factors in keeping the population in check.
