Mobilization of the Home Fronts and the Holocaust

World War II required a higher level of mobilization and sacrifice among civilians Many governments centralized production and instituted rationing programs

Germany Did not mobilize effectively for wartime production Reluctant to promote women in the workforce or call on German citizens to sacrifice consumer goods Nazi Germany relied extensively on slave labor from the conquered and occupied territories Only when the war was ending, did Germany move toward full mobilization

The USSR Conflict was known as the Great Patriotic War Over 20 million Soviet citizens perished The Soviets moved entire factories inland Stalin promoted supercentralization of the economy around the war

Great Britain Effectively centralized its economy for wartime production Almost every able-bodied adult assisted in the war effort Government created ministries to oversee and distribute food, fuel and war supplies Citizens were encouraged to develop self-sufficiency in food production

Collaboration and Resistance Europeans of occupied nations faced stark choices – collaborate or resist A major reason for Nazi success involved active cooperation or apathetic acceptance by those in the occupied lands Conservatives in many lands welcome the Nazi takeover

To assist in ruling occupied lands, the Nazis set up puppet governments Norway and Vichy France were two prime examples

Anti-Nazi movements gained momentum as the war tide turned Groups engaged in acts of sabotage and assassination, hindered production, rescued ethnic minorities, and spread anti-Nazi propaganda Strong organized movements were led by Charles de Gaulle and Joseph Tito

The Polish council, Zegota, saved hundreds of Jews in Poland Denmark was able to engineer the rescue of almost all 8,000 of its Jewish population Within Germany, the White Rose distributed pamphlets against the Nazis before being caught and executed An assassination attempt on Hitler failed in July 1944

The Holocaust Nazis established a network of concentration camps to punish political prisoners and other undesirables Nazi policy moved step by step From exclusion to concentration camps to extermination, of the Final Solution

Mass killings began with the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 Mobile killing squads In 1942, the Wannsee Conference took place The meeting decided on the implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish problem

Erected a system of death camps in Poland Even as the war turned against the Nazis, Hitler continued to pour resources into the “race” war 6 million Jews had been killed, along with 5 million more from other categories

Results of WWII Much of Europe lay in ruins Lowest point in European civilization 40 to 50 million dead Destruction of infrastructure 30 to 50 million people displaced Hold on colonies broken Traditional values questioned Economic activity breaks down