what is the home front ww2

Access to luxuries was severely restricted, although there was also a significant black market. Britain's Home Front in World War Two > The evacuation of Britain’s children out of British cities during World War Two remains the biggest mass movement of people the nation has ever seen. The 'home front' covers the activities of the civilians in a nation at war. Civilian psychiatric nurses who were Nazi party members participated in the killing of invalids, although this was shrouded in euphemisms and denials. [43] The Allies as well as the combined American and Filipino soldiers invaded in 1944–45; the battle for Manila was contested street by street with large numbers of civilians killed. The main goal was to integrate the marginalized European ethnicities—in contrast to the First World War policy of internment camps for Ukrainians and Germans. What was the Home Front? During the German occupation, there were two distinct civilian uprisings in Warsaw, one in 1943, the other in 1944. The result was a growing food shortage, especially in the cities. [103][104] Half a million died in the process, the survivors were herded into refugee camps in East and West Germany for years. The Nazis were popular partly because Germany was relatively prosperous, and Hitler did not want to lose popularity or public support. [5] Tens of thousands died when Kuomintang (Nationalist) troops broke the levees of the Yangtze to stop the Japanese advance after the loss of the Chinese capital, Nanjing. [64], The BBC collected 47,000 wartime recollections and 15,000 images in 2003-6 and put them online. Millions more Chinese died because of famine during the war. relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps This photograph taken during World War II shows the "members of te mochida family await an evacuation bus in hayward, california" [65] The CD audiobook Home Front 1939–45 also contains a selection of period interviews and actuality recordings.[66]. Although the image of a hearty, muscular GI fighting in combat became the image of the ideal American man during World War II, few men actually served in that role. Only 400,000 were evacuated before the siege began; this left 2.5 million in Leningrad, including 400,000 children. Governments became involved with new issues such as rationing, manpower allocation, home defense, evacuation in the face of air raids, and response to occupation by an enemy power. When someone bought rationed food, the grocer stuck a sticker in his or her ration book to show that that week’s ration had been purchased. Along with Dunkirk that rescued the British army from the German clutches, the Battle of Britain air war that prevented the invasion in September 1940 and D Day that … "The Role of Military Administration in German-occupied Belgium, 1940–1944,", Sellin, Thorsten, ed. Thomas R. H. Havens, "Women and war in Japan, 1937-45." [45], The Japanese Army also tried using cane sugar for fuel, castor beans and copra for oil, derris for quinine, cotton for uniforms, and abaca (hemp) for rope. [71] Most had lived in British Columbia, but in 1945 they were released from detention and allowed to move anywhere in Canada except British Columbia, or they could go to Japan. This caused hunger reminiscent of the early 1930s. Although Germany had about double the population of Britain (80 million versus 46 million), it had to use far more labor to provide food and energy. They set up the "Armaments Inspection Board" in 1940 to relay munitions orders to factories; the Board came under the control of the German Minister of Armaments, Albert Speer in 1943, and had offices in industrial areas that were supposed to facilitate orders for materiél, and supervise production. The Home Guard or Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) was formed in 1940 when there was a real risk that Hitler might invade Britain. Similarly, the Japanese war ministry issued the Senjinkun (Field Service Code) in 1941, which tried to educate the soldiers on how to behave during wartime. Cost was no object. "[116] Such sentiments were very common in Japan. Americans on the home front generally supported the Allies' fight against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II. [94] For example, 1.5 million French soldiers were kept in POW camps in Germany as hostages and forced workers and, in 1943, 600,000 French civilians were forced to move to Germany to work in war plants.[95]. They were especially concentrated in munitions and agriculture. [90] Not until 1943, under Albert Speer (the minister of armaments in the Reich), did Germany finally redirect its entire economy and manpower to war production. Surveys of public opinion showed that most Britons were pleased that rationing brought equality and a guarantee of a decent meal at an affordable cost. Although it was the men who went off to fight the war, the people left behind at home also had a part to play in the war. The Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond produced 747 cargo ships during World War II, the most productive shipyards in history. [11] The rationing system was stringent and very badly managed, leading to pronounced malnourishment, black markets and hostility to state management of the food supply. Japanese occupation of the Philippines was opposed by large-scale underground and guerrilla activity. They also announced that standard food ration allocations for the next fortnight could be claimed in advance. Several hundred thousand Frenchmen and women were forced to work in German factories, or volunteered to do so, as the French economy itself deteriorated. It is often associated today with the cultural icon Rosie the Riveter, although it does not actually depict her. [81][82], During World War II, India was a colony of Britain known as British Raj. China suffered the second highest number of casualties of the entire war. Volunteer organizations led by women also prepared packages for the military overseas and for prisoners of war in Axis countries. Ulrich Herbert, "Forced Laborers in the 'Third Reich'", Sheldon Garon, "Luxury is the enemy: Mobilizing savings and popularizing thrift in wartime Japan.". Labour was moved from other aircraft work to factories engaged on the specified types. [109] When the American bombing began in earnest in late 1944, 10 million people fled the cities to the safety of the countryside, including two-thirds of the residents of the largest cities and 87% of the children. Instead of using all available Germans, it brought in millions of slave workers from conquered countries, treating them badly (and getting low productivity in return). The Belgian bureaucracy remained in place and generally cooperated with the German rulers. Japan did not use it as a deliberate policy, but the breakdown of its transportation and distribution systems led to famine and starvation conditions among its soldiers on many Pacific islands. ", Geller, Jay Howard. China was divided into three zones, with the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek(Chiang or Jiang) the southwest and the Communists led by Mao Zedong (Mao) in control of much of the northwest. Japanese women obediently followed orders, and there were no serious disruptions such as rioting over food shortages. [102], In 1944–45, over 2.5 million ethnic Germans fled from Eastern Europe in family groups, desperately hoping to reach Germany before being overtaken by the Russians. America was the largest military power in the world — in theory. the home front Warm-up for the Brain: You have never had to live with wartime conditions that affected all aspects of society - a total war. [127] Forced prostitution for the benefit of Japanese soldiers created the "comfort women" program that proved highly embarrassing to Japan for decades after the war. [129] Historians report that the Japanese textile and fashion industries were highly successful in adapting to wartime shortages and propaganda needs. [93], The Nazis forced 15 million people to work in Germany (including POWs); many died from bad living conditions, mistreatment, malnutrition, and executions. [50] Newspapers and the media were tightly censored. During the Holocaust in Belgium, the Nazis hunted down the 70,000 Jews living in Belgium, most of them refugees, and killed 29,000 of them. They formed neighborhood associations to inform on the opposition. The government responded by rationing, but German officials set the policies and hunger prevailed, especially affecting young people in urban areas. The U.S. Home Front Even though the fighting in World War II was all the way across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the war changed the lives of everyone in America. In mid-1940, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was called on to fight the Battle of Britain, but suffered serious losses. In addition to the POWs, the Germans seized 2.8 million Soviet workers to labor in factories in Germany. This was quite a good wage in the 1940s but was less than the men had been paid for doing the same job. [135], Severe food shortages were common throughout the war zones, especially in Europe where Germany used starvation as a military weapon. "The British Empire and the First World War". The war effort in the United States was often called the home front. The Japanese shimbun's and radio station's reporting of the events helped spread this sentiment quickly. Second hand clothes were not rationed and children’s clothes were handed down from one child to the next or sold on to other families. [140] Elsewhere in Europe, 22% of the prewar housing in Poland was totally destroyed; 21% in Greece; 9% in Austria, 8% in the Netherlands; 8% in France, 7% in Britain, 5% Italy and 4% in Hungary. Niall Ferguson, "The Second World War as an Economic Disaster", in: German occupation of France during World War II, Italian occupation of France during World War II, United States home front during World War II, History of the Philippines § World War II and Japanese occupation, United Kingdom home front during World War II, Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II, Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II, Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years § World War II, 21,000 Japanese Canadians were rounded up, Australian home front during World War II, Pacific Islands home front during World War II, brought in millions of slave workers from conquered countries, Forced labour under German rule during World War II, Military history of the British Commonwealth in the Second World War, http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/booksforcooks/1900s/1900sfood.html, "Making Britain: Second World War (1939–1945)", https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777318000255, "Recycling and rationing in wartime Germany", Memories of the 1940s mailing list archive, "Ryukyu Shimpo, Ota Masahide, Mark Ealey and Alastair McLauchlan, Descent Into Hell: The Battle of Okinawa | The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus", History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Civil Series, The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Home_front_during_World_War_II&oldid=1018463735, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2018, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from November 2016, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from February 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The government implemented pro-natalist policies, which led to an increase in the marriage rate, but birth rates remained steady until they declined by 10% in the stress of the last year of the war, and another 15% during the hardship of the postwar period. There was no radical change in gender roles but the war intensified occupational trends under way since the 1920s. The 'home front' covers the activities of the civilians in a nation at war. For other uses, see Homefront (disambiguation). The Filipinos came to feel morally superior to the brutal Japanese and rejected their advances. Despite the rationing that causes food shortages, many Japanese were happy to oblige. Transportation between the islands was difficult because of lack of fuel. [141], DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777318000255, Civilian Sentiment and Government War Efforts. Further speaking to the success of the Japanese government, there were only ~1000 deserters every year for the six years of World War II. [clarification needed], On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, conquering it in three weeks, as the Soviets invaded the eastern areas. Bidlack, "Survival Strategies in Leningrad," pp 93–94. When the war began in September 1939 the government knew that large cities would be the target for German bombs and that casualties would be high. They formed an auxiliary unit of the United States Army. Coastal areas were occupied by the Japanese, and civilians were treated harshly[citation needed]; some young men were drafted into the puppet Chinese army. Historian Jose Harris points out that the war was seen at the time and by a generation of writers as a period of outstanding national unity and social solidarity. Douglas, William Alexander Binny, and Brereton Greenhous, eds. World War II was a total war; homeland production became even more invaluable to both the Allied and Axis powers. As in most occupied countries, crime, looting, corruption, and black markets were endemic. By autumn 1944 there were twice as many women working full-time in Canada's paid labour force as in 1939: between 1.0 and 1.2 million; and this did not include part-time workers or women working on farms. The Commonwealth Government took control of all income taxation in 1942, which gave it extensive new powers and greatly reduced the states' financial autonomy. After the stunningly quick defeat in June 1940, France was knocked out of the war; part of it, with its capital in Vichy, became an informal ally of the Germans. Geyer, Michael and Adam Tooze, eds. [105], The Japanese home front was elaborately organized, block by block, with full-scale food rationing and many controls over labor. Cities like Kunming ballooned with new arrivals. Because of extreme conditions and hunger, mortality in the ghetto was high. ", Jose Harris, "War and social history: Britain and the home front during the Second World War,". [70] In February 1942 21,000 Japanese Canadians were rounded up and sent to internment camps that closely resembled similar camps in the US, because the two governments had agreed in 1941 to coordinate their evacuation policies. Typically women were mobilized to an unprecedented degree. Perishable items such as fruit were not rationed. [52], Britain's total mobilisation during this period proved to be successful in winning the war, by maintaining strong support from public opinion. The UNRRA, Red Cross and military operations provided food, clothing, shelter and assistance in returning home. The sudden German invasion of neutral Belgium in May 1940 led in a matter of 18 days to the collapse of the Belgian army; King Leopold obtained an armistice that involved direct German military administration. The delivery of new fighters rose from 256 in April to 467 in September—more than enough to cover the losses—and Fighter Command emerged triumphantly from the Battle of Britain in October with more aircraft than it had possessed at the beginning. The only fruit that was available was that grown in Britain e.g. Farmers diverted meat to the black market, so there was much less for the open market. The rations remained largely stable during the war. Estimating that the meat ration had dropped by up to 80% in five months of fighting in Russia, and citing many other sudden changes in living conditions, Smith wrote that by the time he left Germany in late 1941, "for the first time ... the German people are undernourished". Hong Kong was transformed into a Japanese colony, with Japanese businesses replacing the British. Food supplies were very tight before the heavy bombing began in fall 1944, then grew to a crisis. [133], The American bombing campaign of all major cities severely impacted the economy, as did the shortages of oil and raw materials that intensified when Japanese merchant shipping was mostly sunk by American submarines. Worse, imports dried up. Their effectiveness was such that by the end of the war, Japan controlled only twelve of the forty-eight provinces. There was some malnutrition but no reported starvation. Rationing in Germany was introduced in 1939 immediately upon the outbreak of hostilities. Paul Addison . They saved fats and grease; gathered recycled goods; handed out information on the best ways to get the most out of recycled goods; and organized many other events to decrease the amount of waste. [citation needed], Although China received much aid from the United States, China did not have sufficient infrastructure to properly arm or even feed its military forces, let alone its civilians. [39], In the United States, farming and other production was increased. The government used propaganda heavily and planned in minute detail regarding the mobilization of manpower, identification of critical choke points, food supplies, logistics, air raid shelters, and the evacuation of children and civilians from targeted cities. From the beginning of the war, one of Hitler’s tactics against Britain was to use submarines to torpedo ships bringing supplies to Britain. [2], The Germans expected to exploit Belgium's industrial resources to support their war machine. Russian Marshal Georgi Zhukov called on his troops to, "Remember our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our wives and children tortured to death by Germans....We shall exact a brutal revenge for everything." 2005. There was little antiwar sentiment during or after the war. Some children were sent to Canada, the US and Australia, and millions of children and some mothers were evacuated from London and other major cities to safer parts of the country when the war began, under government plans for the evacuation of civilians, but they often filtered back. [89], Germany had not fully mobilized in 1939, not even in 1941, as society continued in prewar channels. The cards were printed on strong paper, containing numerous small "Marken" subdivisions printed with their value – for example, from "5 g Butter" to "100 g Butter". Understanding the benefits of educating the populace about the war efforts, the Japanese government soon followed suite. Which statement most accurately describes how World War II affected the home front in the United States? Canada joined the war effort on September 10, 1939; the government deliberately waited after Britain's decision to go to war, partly to demonstrate its independence from Britain and partly to give the country extra time to import arms from the United States as a non-belligerent. [121] The Japanese food rationing system was effective throughout the war, and there were no serious incidences of malnutrition. Most of the men had full time jobs and trained in the evenings. From 1941, women were called up for war work, including as mechanics, engineers, munitions workers, air raid wardens and fire engine drivers. Nevertheless, there was a strong Resistance movement, with fierce anti-resistance activities carried out by the Nazis and the French police. Most of these were dissolved after 1945, but … Every man, woman and child was given a ration book for food and had to register with a grocery store. Home » World War Two » World War Two in Western Europe » Britain’s Home Front in World War Two Mattapan. Between 1938 and 1939, the government thought of all the possible dangers and difficulties the Home Front would face during war, and started to take precautions. Factory employees were still driven to desperation on occasion and people resorted to eating glue or horsemeat in factories where food was scarce, but factory employment was the most consistently successful method of survival, and at some food production plants not a single person died. The London‐based government‐in‐exile returned, but had to confront the resistance movements that demanded radical political change.[4]. [26], The uprising by Poles began on August 1, 1944, when the Polish underground, the "Home Army", aware that the Soviet Army had reached the eastern bank of the Vistula, sought to liberate Warsaw much as the French resistance had liberated Paris a few weeks earlier. Agricultural production was interrupted, with grain crops left standing in the fields. Hirofumi Hayashi, "Disputes in Japan over the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” System and its perception in history. They initially organized a Council of State, through which they directed civil affairs until October 1943, when they declared the Philippines an independent republic. [77] The arrival of tens of thousands of Americans was greeted with relief, as they could protect Australia where Britain could not. Workers received larger rations than other civilians, and factories were likely to have electricity if they produced vital goods. During World War II, Americans at home played a huge role in the conflict. "War and social history: Britain and the home front during the Second World War,". [118] For the other Japanese civilians, there was a general sense of sorrow at the time of Japan's surrender.

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