The Role Of Women In Total War

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Jolly good was not what soldiers on the frontlines of the World Wars were thinking. War has always been one of humanities worst inventions and has been one of the most destructive forces the world has ever seen. With industrialization war has become far more deadly than it was previously. Industrialization brought a new war to the imperialistic and nationalistic nations of Europe called total war. It was the capacity of a nation to regulate its economic consumption, production, and distribution and it blurred the distinction between civilian and soldier. This type of war was far more destructive and had a wider impact on the nation as a whole. Total war changed societies gender norms, increased the governments political power and functionality, …show more content…
British women were even drafted for service in civilian defense, war related industry, or even the armed forces. During WWII men and women were equally capable of being victims to the war whether it was from bombing runs on a city or being on the frontline. This sense of universal danger compelled everyone to do all in their power to aid in the war effort so their side could win and finish the war. In the Soviet Union women had an even more involved role in the worth effort. They constituted 80 percent of the agricultural and 50 percent of the industrial labor force. Women in the USSR were even served in active combat and all men and women were required to work 11 hours a day building defenses. In the USSR there truly was no distinction between the different sexes in total war. Germany was different in that they tried to keep the domestic role of women in society intact during the war, but in the final year of the war even they used woman as a source of labor in their factories. (The West, …show more content…
The Nazi government gained complete control of the government and created a Fascist state which has many similarities to what a country looks like during total war. With Nazi’s centralized power the enacted the Final Solution which was to kill all the Jews to help purify the nation. The Nazi’s claimed the use of their super centralized political power was for the good of the German nation. Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany’s military disasters and used greater power he gained from the total war to commit genocide. (The West, 868) He even used the Jews in labor camps to maximize the industry of the nation. Because of the need for labor that total war requires to fuel its war machine the Nazis committed unbelievable atrocities. This shows the destruction that a centralized government, that is only concerned about war and not about its citizens, can bring to a

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