United States
For the United States, civilians’ everyday lives were subjected to a period of intense change after Pear Harbor. Although America’s initial reaction was fear, the country quickly understood that sacrifices to everyday life were essential for an American victory in the war. One such example of sacrifice came in the form of a food rationing plan instituted in early 1942. Under the plan, everything from butter to vegetables to gas was rationed and promoted by the U.S. Office of War Information as a means of using less so that United States troops could have more. Secondly, raw materials such as metal, aluminum, and rubber were collected and reused for the production of weapons. Additionally, bonds were issued by the U.S. (referred to as war bonds) that mitigated the cost of going to war and boosted the United States economy ("The U.S. Home Front During World War II").
On the other hand, the United States industry rapidly changed from a peace-time to a war-time industry, and therefore required an influx of additional American workers. For the first time, women began to contribute to the war effort in occupations that were previously unavailable to them. Jobs in arms manufacturing, electrical, welding, and various other careers within military offices became available. In fact, it was reported that “by the mid-1940s, the percentage of women in the American work force had expanded from 25 percent to 36 percent” ("The U.S. Home Front During World War II").
As for leisure activities and other national events, movies provided programing promoting the American war effort. Most famously, the series “Why We Fight” provided an insight into why it was necessary for the United States involvement and win in the war. Radio increasingly began to broadcast stories related to the war. On an entirely different note, heavy restrictions were placed on certain ethnic groups, the most notorious being the institution of Japanese American Internment Camps ("The U.S. Home Front During World War II").
On the other hand, the United States industry rapidly changed from a peace-time to a war-time industry, and therefore required an influx of additional American workers. For the first time, women began to contribute to the war effort in occupations that were previously unavailable to them. Jobs in arms manufacturing, electrical, welding, and various other careers within military offices became available. In fact, it was reported that “by the mid-1940s, the percentage of women in the American work force had expanded from 25 percent to 36 percent” ("The U.S. Home Front During World War II").
As for leisure activities and other national events, movies provided programing promoting the American war effort. Most famously, the series “Why We Fight” provided an insight into why it was necessary for the United States involvement and win in the war. Radio increasingly began to broadcast stories related to the war. On an entirely different note, heavy restrictions were placed on certain ethnic groups, the most notorious being the institution of Japanese American Internment Camps ("The U.S. Home Front During World War II").
Britian
Similar to the United States, World War II brought out a sense of fear, but also resilience in the civilians of Great Britain. Under government offices such as the Ministry of Information, the public opinion of war was inflated through a restriction on war publicity, and an influx of positive war propaganda. Organizations such as the “Home Guard” began to collect scrap metal for the production of war defenses. Women began to play an important role in non-traditional occupations such as engineering, ammunition work, and underground sheltering. After the bombing campaign against Britain referred to as the “Blitz” occurred, a mix of fear and togetherness began to form within British Citizens. Although many evacuated and fled to the outskirts of British Cities, food rationing ensured the survival of citizens for the most intense periods of war preservation ("British Home Front").
Germany
As countries of Europe began to fall from 1939-1940, citizen life in Germany was affected little by little. One example of the immediate effect that conquered countries brought, was an influx of resources and workers. However, as the war progressed, an intense series of supply rationing began. From late 1939 onward, clothing, soap, and toilet paper were either rationed or ceased to exist within the general supply. Black markets soon became commonplace. Another large adjustment came in the form of the Nazi’s push for women to work or increase the German birthrate. In the latter years of the war, German citizens began to occupy the countryside for safety concerns, and the amount of propaganda produced increased significantly. Propaganda promoted the German worker’s morale and support for the war despite the deteriorating conditions surrounding the Nazi Party. Finally, a somewhat obvious adjustment came from the large exile of the German Jewish population to external ghettos to endure factory work and/or immediate concentration ("War and Its Impact on Life in Germany, 1939-1947").
Japan
The home front in Japan was radically different in Japan than that of Germany’s due to the lack of technological permeation in citizens’ everyday lives. For the Japanese government, a series of campaigns to merge patriotic organizations and subtle uses of propaganda in children’s lives (through the school systems) were enough for citizens to support the war effort – at least initially. However, as the war progressed onward, education was affected more dramatically. Elementary schools became “National Schools” and summer vacations became voluntary war labor periods. The goal of the Japanese was to embellish a hatred for the United States into every aspect of life. School children soon were encouraged to stomp on the U.S. flag, and eliminate major allied figures such as U.S. President F.D.R. or Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Rationing became necessary in every aspect of life. Families were forced into collective housing, and factory jobs became more elusive. However, to a large extent, citizen life in Japan lacked the infiltration of propaganda, and overwhelming support of war such as in Germany. Most individual household remained independent while being forced to support of the war out of necessity (Hicks).
Soviet Union
For the most part, the home front of the Soviet Union during war changed less dramatically than many other allied countries. In part due to previous industrialization, and endurance of previous conflicts, food rationing and war-time productions were already partially commonplace. For example, the Lend Lease Act’s greatest benefit to the Soviet Union came in the form of increased production capacity. Propaganda during the beginning of the war supported the Nazi’s and dismantled the image of Great Britain and the United States. However, once the Soviet Union joined the allied side, propaganda quickly switched to depict the Nazi’s as savage nationalists. Overall, the home front in the Soviet Union was very similar to previous national conflicts, and gave women a much larger role in the structure of wartime production than any other allied country ("World War II: Soviet Home Front").
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