Powerhouse of World War II, United States and Great Britain

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From 1939 to 1945 the majority of the world’s nations were part of a long deadly six-year war, World War II. These included two strong powerhouses, Great Britain and The United States. Millions died world wide, declaring World War II to be the most expansive war to date. The Holocaust, and the use nuclear weapons resulted in such a high death toll. Nations were in a state of “total war,” involving not just the military but also the entire nation. Civilians were aggressively aiding in supporting their military, creating a home front, making a significant impression on the result of the war. Rationing, defense and manpower were concerns for governments; and they made any economic and industrial change to support their efforts in aiding their nation and military. Great Britain Fear swept across Europe, as result from the continuous amounts of air bombing taking place in the 1930’s. The government encouraged “Civilians […] to enroll in Air Raid Precautions (ARP) or the Auxiliary Fire Serive (AFS)” (The Home Front par.1), knowing that Germany would come armed with their deadly bombs. Before Germany declared war with Great Britain millions of people left their life behind and evacuated far away from the reach of the German troops, others stayed supporting the home front. Mobilization was put into place in Great Britain, gathering both men and women to aid in manpower and in the production and safeguard of supplies. “Half a million women joined the uniformed services, and millions more worked in the factories and on the land. Both men (from 1939) and women (from 1941) were conscripted” (The Home Front – ‘Doing your bit’ par 1) and many of those voluntarily enlisted. In addition to the government drafting citizens into armed forces, ot... ... middle of paper ... ...republication question for reporter: Is this information I would like to have if I were the enemy?” (PBS – Censorship par. 2). Big secrets were kept for years from its own people as well as from other countries such as the atom bomb and about the health of Franklin Roosevelt. The media and government encouraged families to write their loved ones about anything but the war. While “civil servants were reading and censoring a million pieces of mail weekly, especially those to or from POW’s and other internees” (PBS – Censorship par 7). Mass production of weapons, strong military with lots of manpower, money from taxes and war bonds, and censorship were important to America during World War II. Keeping the home front with motivated and enthusiastic people is important in making progress towards victory during war. America was able to come together and dominate fascism.

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