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

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

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).

The end of the First World War left extreme poverty and unrest in Germany. Germany had been forced to pay huge amounts of money and goods in compensation. Many German lands was taken away (O’ Neal), which these losses in the war made people think that life was cheap and there was nothing to lose. Many people became desperate and wanted a change; therefore, Hitler came along and was a voice of hope for change that people wanted. Many believed that he was going to help them retrieve

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

By the end of WW1 Germany was left weakened which lasted from 1919-1933 and caused many Germans to look to other parties that promised to fix all of Germanys problems. The treaty of Versailles left Germany with limited resources to recover which meant they were unable to pay reparations. Along with hyperinflation that was present at the time, many businesses collapsed, unemployment rates spiked and many people lost their homes. Economically things were not in a good state, the middle class were affected by the difficulties majorly. Germans turned to extremist parties like the Nazis for help during these times of difficulties as their faith in Weimar’s republic was lost.

In examining great social and cultural changes in the modern West, many specific events come to mind: the Renaissance and the Reformation, the “discovery” of the Americas, industrialization, and World War Two. One such event, often overlooked, is the “Great War”, 1914-1918. Like every people affected by the expanse of this war, Germans were deeply affected and forever changed. As a social, cultural, and psychological reaction to World War I, the German people created the Weimar Republic, leading to a drastic change in German society and culture. To best understand these changes, a comprehensive analysis of World War I, before, during, and after, is necessary.

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.

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