2-WWII+Germany+HF

Germany Home Front: As World War II progressed the Nazi government began to portray to the German people that the war was going in their favor. The German people were convinced based on the extravagant amount of propaganda that filled the nation. German propaganda did a great job of emphasizing the extent to which the German military dominated over the Allied powers’ military and portrayed them as murders whereas the German military were fighting for the pride of the Nazi cause. Other types of media was utilized and manipulated in order to convey the pro-Nazi perspective such as radio broadcasts. The Wehrmachtbericht facilitated the pro-Nazi propaganda through radio broadcasts that would talk about the military situation during the war. Of course the German people at home would hear the victories of the German forces highlighted and the deaths of the other countries would be considered negligible. Even when the German military underwent a loss it would be broadcasted as the deaths of many brave soldiers murdered by the other nations, thus making the Germans back home support the claim of the overpowering and all-encompassing Nazi regime. “One People, One Reich, One Führer,” [] When speaking in context of the direct contributions to the war effort one must first understand the state of Germany during the war. The goal was to establish economy that would make Germany independent and separate from the global economy. This meant that the German home front was economically supporting an internalized economy during the war and supporting their troops based on this industrial and resource centered power house. This economically self-satisfying system, which was governed a lot by the blockade that was set up by the Allied forces to limit resource acquisition, only went so far as they were rich in coal and steel but a completely independent economy was virtually impossible with a war on their hands. Socially the war added to the morale of the Nazi army aiding with soldiers that were motivated by the pro-Nazi propaganda and the Hitler-Youth inspiring many young men to join the war effort. Politically the Hitler-Youth stood as the new generation that dominated the view point of the country. The German home front not only contributed its youth to fighting the war but to making sure the warlike ideology spread in Hitler’s favor. There were many costs of the war to Germany economically, politically, and socially. To begin with Germany was politically broken up as it was divided into two global blocs (East and West) after the war due to the Nazi downfall and lost much of its growing territory to the Soviet Union and Poland. Germany had lost its status not only as a super power, but also as a nation in control of its territory. This was only the beginning to the disadvantage brought upon Germany after the War. Germany had completely lost the support of its people and was suffering from the casualties of the war. This was a new beginning for Germany as they not only were in a terrible state with foreign affairs, but they had also lost the trust of their people altogether. The social impact was small as compared to the economical subdivision that happened within Germany as the West and the East grew in vastly different speeds as leaving a post-war scene into the Cold War era. If there is anything to say about the benefit of the involvement in the war is the recovery and path to reconstruction that Germany underwent after the war. Women in Nazi Germany was interesting altogether as they were either subjected to the Nazi’s purge of not valued members of society or they were put to use in the involvement with the war effort. Many German women volunteered in the National Socialist Women’s Organization (NSF) and Reich Mother Service to help wounded soldiers and sew for the war effort. Looking back at the work and the way they participated in society during World War II shows a service that seems somewhat limited to the importance of women in society but their effort made the difference to setting the mindset of a fully nation at work mentality. The young girls that the Nazi’s deemed racially pure would join the girl version of the Hitler-Youth, the League of German girls. They would simply do athletic activities to seem aesthetically appealing to the German public and the start of Hitler’s pure race. The Hitler-Youth dominated the lives of over 60% Germany’s youth and changed the way the children understood people around them. The youth would be brainwashed with Hitler and Nazi propaganda to promote his policies and his rule they would also be instilled with the idea of a perfect Aryan race. Hitler’s youth was the key to getting his people to blindly follow him, all he needed to do was changed the way the new generation thought. [] Works Cited Corelli, Marie. "Poisoning Young Minds in Nazi Germany: Children and Propaganda in the Third Reich." //Poisoning Young Minds in Nazi Germany: Children and Propaganda in the Third Reich// 66.4 (2002): n. pag. Print. Herb, Guntram Henrik. //Under the Map of Germany: Nationalism and Propaganda, 1918-1945//. London: Routledge, 1997. Print. Mouton, Michelle. "From Adventure and Advancement to Derailment and Demotion: Effects of Nazi Gender Policy on Women's Careers and Lives." //From Adventure and Advancement to Derailment and Demotion: Effects of Nazi Gender Policy on Women's Careers and Lives// 43.4 (2010): n. pag. Web. Wiesen, S. Jonathan. //West German Industry and the Challenge of the Nazi Past, 1945-1955//. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina, 2001. Print.
 * How may Germany’s awareness of the war’s objectives and nature be characterized? How did propaganda affect the mindset at home? **
 * What were the direct contributions to the war of Germany to the war effort? **
 * What were the costs and benefits of the war to Germany? **
 * How can life for women and youth in Germany be characterized? **