Women and War
Trying to hold the homefront together while there was a war waging abroad was not an
easy task for women during World War I and II. Women were not only asked to complete the
daily chores that were normally expected of them, but they were asked to go to work. Suddenly
their very private lives were turned into a very public and patriotic cause.
Traditionally the woman's place was thought to be in the home. She was responsible for
cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, and looking her best. So when war broke out it
was clear that America would not be able to win either of the World War's without the help of
their women, the "traditional" housewife and mother turned into wartime worker. This is the
same for Germany. The men realized it would not be possible for them to continue their wartime
efforts without the help and support of the Nazi women.
World War I was a turning point in American history for women. Women had to put
aside their feminist movement and class issues because their national identity was seen as more
important then their own more private issues. They were going to participate and do their best
whether or not they received recognition, and even though they put their movements aside they
still stayed organized in their women's groups and networks.
The Nazi women are very much like the American women in some respects. At the
beginning, before the war and before Hitler took power, they felt as if Liberalism was not doing
anything for them and it wasn't working to anyone's advantage. "Like their male counterparts,
Nazi women expressed contempt for democracy, liberalism, individualism, and decadence."
(Koonz 97) The women were working long, hard hours in factor...
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... and were experiencing their own individuality. The war allowed women to make
decisions, and it gave them a chance to fight for their right's. And there is no doubt that the
consequences of the World War's (discrimination, job cuts, wage inequalities) led to the
development of many of the civil rights movement's of the 1950's.
Bibliography:
Koonz, Claudia, "Mothers in the Fatherland." Course Packet Pages 95-109.
Roberts, Mary Louise, "Women are Cutting their Hair as a Sign of Sterility," from Civilization without Sexes.
Course Packet Pages 71-86.
Robinson-Dunn "The French Resistance and World War II" S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook University. April 13, 2000.
Robinson-Dunn "Women and Fascism" S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook University. April 11, 2000.
Robinson-Dunn "Women and World War I" S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook University. April 4, 2000.
...wise you were to bring your women into your military and into your labor force. Had we done that initially, as you did, it could well have affected the whole course of the war. We would have found out as you did, that women are equally effective, and for some skills, superior to males." (Albert Speer, head of Nazi war production)
that was effecting there very lives. It rallied the people to make the government find a
not only convince the Congress that American belligerency in the final stages of the war would indefinitely shorten it and provide him with the opportunity. to organize the peace for Europe as well as the rest of the world (Ferrell 2). but to sway the American people’s opinion of non-isolationism, to warn. Germany’s government that “America would ultimately wield a powerful sword to deny them victory” (Parsons 2), to compel German citizens to. relinquish the submarine attacks and negotiate peace and terms.
World War Two was the period where women came out of their shells and was finally recognized of what they’re capable of doing. Unlike World War One, men weren’t the only ones who were shined upon. Women played many significant roles in the war which contributed to the allied victory in World War Two. They contributed to the war in many different ways; some found themselves in the heat of the battle, and or at the home front either in the industries or at homes to help with the war effort as a woman.
anyone who bought from a Jew was a no good German. In the early 1930's
many men were involved in the war, women finally had their chance to take on many of
A “True Women’s” life before the war was to make a clean, comfortable, nurturing home for her
When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Before the war, women mostly depended on men for financial support. But with so many gone to battle, women had to go to work to support themselves. With patriotic spirit, women one by one stepped up to do a man's work with little pay, respect or recognition. Labor shortages provided a variety of jobs for women, who became street car conductors, railroad workers, and shipbuilders. Some women took over the farms, monitoring the crops and harvesting and taking care of livestock. Women, who had young children with nobody to help them, did what they could do to help too. They made such things for the soldiers overseas, such as flannel shirts, socks and scarves.
The women during the war felt an obligation to assist in one form or another. Many stayed at home to watch over the children, while others felt a more direct or indirect approach was necessary. Amongst the most common path women took to support the war, many "served as clerks...filled the ammunition cartridges and artillery shells with powder at armories, laboring at this dangerous and exacting task for low wages. Both sides utilized women in these capacities (Volo 170)." Women that stayed away from battlefields supported their respected armies by taking the jobs that men left behind. They were the grease in the gears of war, the individuals working behind the scenes so that the men would be prepared, ready to fight with functioning weapons and operational gear.
Women were not only separated by class, but also by their gender. No woman was equal to a man and didn’t matter how rich or poor they were. They were not equal to men. Women couldn’t vote own business or property and were not allowed to have custody of their children unless they had permission from their husband first. Women’s roles changed instantly because of the war. They had to pick up all the jobs that the men had no choice but to leave behind. They were expected to work and take care of their homes and children as well. Working outside the home was a challenge for these women even though the women probably appreciated being able to provide for their families. “They faced shortages of basic goods, lack of childcare and medical care, little training, and resistance from men who felt they should stay home.” (p 434)
...n terms of abolishing slavery which is why they were such significant social reformers during this movement.
World War 1 was a time filled with trauma, despair, and hardship. Women had limited freedoms such as being able to vote, being confined at home, and having less than half of the rights men were able to have. Time flew by and as the war ended in 1918, the 1920’s decade of change soon approached. The year was famously known as “The Jazz Age” and “The Roaring 20’s” because of the newly found freedom, social and political changes, and the time of prohibition. Among these powerful new changes was the freedom that women were finally able to vote and enjoy what was about to come.
Politics had played a large part in the movement’s beginning, and they continued to be...
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was determined to protect the national security of the United States. At first, Roosevelt felt that it was in the best interest of the United States to avoid involvement in the war. However, he knew “sooner or later, the threat to the European balance of power would have forced the United States to intervene in order to stop Germany’s drive for world domination” (Kissinger 369-370). But this was not Roosevelt’s main problem; Roosevelt had to prove to the American people that unlike World War I, US involvement was necessary. He had to “[transform] the nation’s concept of national interest and [lead] ‘a staunchly isolationist people’ into yet another global war” (handout).
not be something they can relate to therefore, it is not significant enough for them to fight for.