Two's Effect On The German Home Front: World War II

Prior to Nazi rule, life in Germany had been subject to many hardships. The German People had been victim of

The situations that arose in Germany were completely forced upon the country when Germany was forced to accept guilt for causing WWI. Being forcibly guilty put loads of pressure on the country. In Germany, the versailles treaty was considered an ‘Atrocious injustice’.(Doc H) When Germany was forced to take blame for WWI the inhabitants had to change practically their whole lifestyle to fit the new responsibilities placed onto their country. The Militaristic lifestyle the country once had was forcibly removed and controlled. Germany was

After World War II Germany was left devastated and in ruins. There had been massive destruction of the country’s infrastructure (Bessel 2011), it lacked political structure and economic activity had plummeted. There was a scarcity of food, fuel and housing and Germany was in no condition to clothe or feed its population (O’Dochartaigh 2003).

He urged the people, “go into your churches, kneel before God, and implore his help for our brave army.”(25) This moment hinted at a more independent minded approach to traditional authority. When coupled together, the emotions of the crowds and the ability of groups like the Fatherland Party to find a footing in the political arena, gives reason to believe that the German people were ready to make a change that served their newfound interests. Fritzche explicitly makes this point, “the patriotism that Germans displayed was of their own making and suited to new conceptions of nation and citizenship which invited rather than discouraged public participation.” (66) At the conclusion of the war, millions of people were at a loss, and the Nazis stepped in to fill a void left by their opposition who had stoked the flames of nationalism but failed to capitalize on its apparent momentum. This included a strong message that laid blame for the German surrender at the feet of those in charge. Also, previous notions of class were turned upside down or, for the Nazis, right side up, making it possible for an illiberal, fascist community to become the norm. Simply put, “Basic elements of the Nazi message spoke to the political aspirations that burghers had held for more than ten years.” (192) Germans became Nazis by their own choosing, they were not forced to

Additionally, Junger views Germany as the greatest place in the world, and joins the war to protect the place he loves. Junger is more than willing to die in order to protect his country. He sees “‘no finer death in all the world than…’ Anything to participate and not stay at home!” (Junger, 5). Dying at war is a feeling some are scared of, but many Germans love their lives and country so much that they are willing to die to let others enjoy the life in Germany. German’s believe that they live in a “beautiful country… and eminently worth our blood and our lives” (Junger, 33). German’s have a sense of pride and willingness to sacrifice for their country, like many other major world powers at the beginning of World War One.

In the 1940’s, Germany was a tough place to live for most people. I learned much about the Hitler's youth and what it was like to live in small town at that time through The

German forces occupied much of Europe and taking back to the territory would require a massive assault, which the allies were not prepared for. In addition, the allies promised they would open up a second front on Europe to relieve pressure on the Soviets. This was Canada’s longest campaign in WW II, resulting in 26, 000 Canadian casualties. From Sicily, Canadians fought in scorching heat over mountainous terrain advancing 240 km, eventually causing the Italian and German forces to retreat to the Italian mainland. This secured the Mediterranean Sea for Allied shipping. After the fall of Sicily, Benito Mussolini was overthrown and the new Italian government surrendered to the Allies. The German army fought the Allies as they moved up the Italian mainland.

During the second World War, living in Germany could have been a risky move. The chances of you dying in an air raid was higher than the chances of you sky diving today. During World War II the total number of deaths was 7,393,000. This was around 10 precent of the population. For example, an “Air raid in March 1943 killed two, injured 34, and left thousands homeless” (Hairdos and Movies). During World War II, “Allied fighter jets bombed cities killing many civilians. Many were forced to fight to defend the nation, leading to a high loss of life’’ (“Effect of World War II”). This was not a smart move on Germany’s part. Making men go to war and fight led to inflation because their jobs got

The method I will be using to answer my particular research question is a review of literature. This will require choosing different resources and using them to analyze the issue. The two most important resources I will be using are Camp X website and BBC website, both of which are secondary. The Camp X website is classified as secondary because the information has been taken from primary sources such as interviews and archives, used to gather information on Canadian spies and their training The BBC website is a secondary source because all the information is from a series of interviews talking about the contributions of Canadian spies during the second war and the secrecy of it all. The information I gathered was both accurate, fairly

In this story, the narrator’s biggest problem is finding employment. Germans are unable to go into a profession that they find interest in, rather they are forced to make due in hard labor like “clearing rubble and carrying rocks” or other underpaid jobs (125). He describes how “there was a time when they used to say it was unnecessary [to have a profession], all we needed was soldiers. But now they say you have to have a profession” (125). With total war, all the German people work for the war effort, whether that was as a soldier or working in factories making weapons and other resources. It is very difficult for them not only to have a positive attitude towards their new ways of life in occupied Germany, but it is most difficult to believe that you may never go back to the Germany that existed prior to Nazi Germany. German identity may never exist again and it is obvious that many Germans regret what emerged between 1939 and

Nationalism was a big part during the war. The Germans had such faith in their military force, industrial base, and their growing amount of weaponry and their expansion of battleships and submarines. Therefore, they thought the war wouldn’t be long and that it would be over by Christmas of 1914. Yet, they were wrong. As the

States react to the aftermath of war at different levels. The effects directly afterward are temporary and reflect the living conditions during the war. Cultural and societal changes are established during the years after. These changes are sometimes brought about by governments enacting policy and economic changes. Political changes represent the altering relationship between the people and the government.

The time of 1919 to 1939 was a specific post war period after the great depression where certain right-wing parties dominated indoctrinating their fascist and nationalistic ideals on the German people. The rise of fascism in Germany 1919 – 1939, not only resulted in hardship but also in prosperity for some Germans. The topics that will be addressed and discussed further throughout the course of this essay include; the political factors that influenced people into voting Nazi, the economic factors that caused a fluctuating economy during this time period and the social aspects that affected society throughout that time period as well as the many benefits and hardships that were caused as a result.

Germans were already struggling during the end of the war, and in many cases, they welcomed the Allies as “ liberators”.

After World War I Germany was in an economic depression, much like the rest of the world. The German people were out of work and the government did not intervene to help their people. During this time the Germans were still embarrassed of their WWI loss and it was evident throughout Germany. The Germans had very little confidence in their federal