To what extent were different social groups affected by war? Flashcards
How were women affected by war?
-they were sent back to work and in 1943 all women aged 17-45 had to register for work
-they needed to help with the war effort
-food shortages, price rises and helping with the war effort meant that they had to work long hours
What was a result of how women were affected during the war?
-this meant that Nazis had more control over women which resulted in them having more control over families
-their lives were arguably changed the most during the war because they had to adapt to a work environment, care for their children after not being allowed to work for years
-working long hours and caring for children and helping with the war effort meant that their lives were very different to what they were before the war
How were all children affected by war?
-education->lack of education impacted children’s knowledge on things and their futures
How were young boys affected by war?
-they were impacted by having to go to war if they were of age->they had been prepared when being in the Hitler Youth
-Hitler Youth->more training for combat and increased sports->perfect for a German soldier
-Hitler Youth laws->made the Hitler Youth mandatory because numbers were dropping
How were young girls affected by war?
-Girls had to prepare for work
What was a result of how children were affected by war?
-the Nazis prepared the youth for war which meant that they were prepared to fight or help at home
-most young males 17+ would have to fight for Germany due to lack of men in the army (either those who died or are injured during the war)
How were agricultural workers/farmers affected by war?
-price rises meant that they struggled even more with buying things
How was the availability of food impacted?
-food shortages->like meat due to lack of imports from the US->foods like bread and potatoes->Germans’ diet was lacking in variety, with lots of bread, potatoes and preserves
-meat rations dropped from 750 grams per week in 1939 to 250 grams per week in 1945
-state was in massive debt->inflation rising
-average calorie consumption had dropped from the recommended 2000 per day to about one-half of that
-food consumption per person fell 25% by 1941
What was a result of the impact of food availablity?
-this meant that inflation increased->making it more difficult for certain classes to afford vital necessities->leading to them not being able to pay rent and ending up evicted
-peasants were greatly affected by war because of price rises and inflation was rising which would cause more issues for them
-food shortages made it harder for peasants because there was even less food and due to prices lots of food became more expensive
How was standard of living affected by the war?
-food shortages->certain foods disappeared into the ‘Black Market’ which was too expensive for most people to buy from
-civilians had to cut back on heating, work long hours and recycle their rubbish
-in 1942 all places of entertainment closed besides cinemas->Goebbels needed them to show propaganda films
-20% of housing had been destroyed by 1944 and 30% had been badly damaged
-fuel shortages added to the problem of transporting what food remained
What was a result of the standards of living being affected by war?
-standard of living declined rapidly at the start of the war
-many foods became too expensive leading to a decrease in standard of living
-there were many things people had to cut back on which impacted standard of living
-people had to work longer hours and were most likely paid less
-no places of entertainment besides cinemas led to people not having many leisure activities they could do so the majority of their time was work
How were workers affected due to war?
-increased working hours
-women entered the workforce in large numbers working in armaments factories and as medics
-workers were given extra rations as they were vital for the war effort (links with farmers)
How many enslaved labourers and displaced persons became refugees inside Germany at the end of the war?
-at the end of the war, eight million enslaved labourers and other ‘displaced persons’ became refugees inside Germany.
How did the Nazis make extensive use of forced labour to keep the war effort going?
-transporting hundreds of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war from Eastern Europe and elsewhere to Germany to keep the war effort going
How many ethnic Germans were either refugees or had been expelled from the countries surrounding Germany in the East were in Germany at the end of the war?
-in addition, 11 million ethnic Germans were either refugees or had been expelled from the countries surrounding Germany in the East->led to more jobs being needed
