THE HOME FRONTTHE HOME FRONT

The Great War•With the outbreak of war in 1914, the people of Europe were excited and enthusiastic about participation in it.

•Flag waving crowds singing patriotic songs held rallies and parades.

•Millions of men quickly raced off to join the army in their respective countries.

•Many believed the war to be a great adventure not to be missed.

War at Home•Unfortunately, the realties of the Great War were to be quite different.

•The Great War brought a new age of warfare to human history.

•The war would be fought as much on the home front as it would on the battlefield.

•The production of military equipment, ammunition and food became the war behind the war.

Total War•All of these battlefield needs had to be met while keeping the civilian population fed and clothed as well.

•Tremendous sacrifices were made by the people of all warring nations to keep the soldiers in the field ready to fight.

•All aspects of a nation's population, industry and culture were mobilized to fight.

•The age of total war (the entire military and civilian population dedicated to the war effort) had arrived.

The German Home Front• Germany entered the Great War

better prepared than any other nation.

• Yet, they did not believe the war would last very long.

• When the war began to drag on for years, Germany found itself in a difficult position.

• The raw materials need by its factories to produce military equipment was severely hampered by the British naval blockade.

The Effects of the British Blockade

• The blockade cut Germany off from overseas commerce and colonies.

• Coal and iron ore to make steel were plentiful, but resources like magnesium, oil rubber and cotton could not be grown or existed inside of Germany.

• Many of these products were required for the production of ammunition.

Food

• Food also became a major concern for the war effort.

• German agriculture was very good, but required fertilizers and animal supplements from other countries.

• This would become a major factor in the ability to continue the war.

• By the end of 1914, the German government began to control the food production of the country.

• Special laws were passed that limited how farmers could produce and slaughter animals.

Food Alternatives

• During the winter of 1914, the German people began eating K-Bread (Kriegsbrot - war bread).

• This type of bread replaced wheat with potatoes as the main ingredient.

• The best food was sent to the front lines to ensure the soldiers had enough energy to fight.

• This meant that the civilian population had to do without.

Science Replaces Food

• As the war dragged on, Germany turned to science to produce foodstuffs for the people.

• Several food items in use today were developed during the war.

• One of the biggest was the production of margarine (an edible oil product) to replace butter.

• Artificial honey, coffee, gravy, puddings and many other items were developed to replace items sent to the front.

Turnip Winter

• Even with all the attempts to manufacture food from almost nothing, by 1916 serious food shortages were appearing all over Germany.

• It was at that time that one of the worst winters in European history hit the country.

• The winter of 1916 became known as the "turnip winter."

• A premature frost destroyed the potato harvest that year which had become a major source of food for the people.

• Instead the turnip, which did not suffer from the frost, became the main source of food for the country.

Artificial Everything

• Science was turned to all areas of production.

• Artificial silk, clothes and army sandbags were manufactured from wood pulp.

• Synthetic rubber was developed as were a number of other products using science to replace items Germany was unable to grow or mine.

Problems in the Factories• With millions of men going off to

fight, a large-scale labor crisis emerged in the factories.

• Who would build the weapons and equipment necessary to fight when most of the men were at the front?

• New laws were established to put all males between 17 and 60, who were not in the army, to work in the factories.

• Children were used to help harvest crops on local farms.

• Finally, French and Belgian people under occupation were deported to Germany to work in the factories.

The Last Year of the War - 1918• As the Great War entered its last

year, food and materials had reached a breaking point within Germany.

• One example of the shortage of food during this time came with the substitution of finely ground sawdust as a flour substitute in bread.

• Soldiers on leave would return home to see their children undernourished, short of heating fuels and wearing old threadbare clothing.

• With all the best food going to the frontlines, civilians paid a heavy price for the war effort.

Shortages at the Front too.

• Even the troops in the frontlines began to suffer from the lack of foodstuffs available during 1918.

• Allied food, discovered during trench raids and offensives, was a highly sought after prize.

The British Home Front

• Like Germany, England did not realize the full extent of the war they were about to embark upon.

• The small British Army required millions of men if it was to make a contribution during the war, and many immediately joined.

• The induction of so many men left huge holes in the labor force that would require drastic measures to replace.

Parliament Reacts to War

• One of the first acts of the war was to pass the Defense of the Realm Act (DORA).

• The Act gave the government almost unlimited powers to do what was necessary to win the war.

• If necessary the Act allowed land to be seized from individuals, censorship of newspapers (the government could control what was in or out of newspapers), or even arrest people without just causes.

Far Reaching Powers

•The Act even reached into peoples social lives:• It forced beer manufactures to water down their products to limit time lost at work due to drunkenness.

• It became illegal to buy a round of drinks in a bar

• It forced pubs to close down during the afternoon so men would not skip work.

Food Shortages• England was placed under

a system of food rationing much like Germany.

• Unlike Germany, England did have access to her overseas colonies to bring in more food.

• The best food still went to the men in the frontlines which limited the type and amount of food civilians had.

• Most people prepared meatless recipes for the bulk of the war.

Civilians are Targets in Total War

• When the German Navy began it's unrestricted submarine warfare, the arrival of food was threatened.

• Both nations engaged in the attempt to starve each other into surrendering.

• This new economic warfare meant that civilians became targets, not just soldiers, suffered under total war.

Problems in the Factories

• Britain geared up her industries for war, as did the Germans.

• England did not suffer a shortage of raw material though.

• The British Empire became a major supplier of all the required materials, although these supplies could be sunk while being shipped to England.

Factory Workers

• The same labor shortages were faced in England as they were in Germany as well.

• The solution utilized in England was somewhat different.

• Instead of forcing the young and old into the factories, women were used to replace the men that had gone off to fight.

• This posed several problems for the very traditional and proper English society and role women played.

Women Take Over • Women only held minor jobs before the Great

War.

• They could be maids or cooks, but were limited beyond these roles.

• As a result of the war, they took on most of the traditional jobs held by men.

• Women began delivering the mail and coal, driving buses, ploughing fields, and making explosives.

• Many changes occurred for women that allowed them access to different jobs, better pay and more freedom within English society.

• The men returning from the frontlines after the war were shocked by many of these changes.