Home Front during World War 1

The home front was a major aspect of World War I and contributed significantly to the conflict's history and importance. CHANGE SLIDE

 The home front in World War I included societies of the various participating countries and the problems encountered by the civilians who did not serve on the front lines.  On the domestic front, World War I had varying effects on each of the participating nations.  Having said that, all the participating countries experienced some of the same problems.  CHANGE SLIDE

First and foremost, despite being disastrous for the soldiers, civilians on the home front also suffered greatly during World War I. For instance, historians calculate that up to 7 million civilians perished because of World War I-related events. Numerous causes contributed to the high death toll.  Indeed, battles in Europe's cities and villages caused suffering among the civilian population. In one case, the Western Front trenches crossed parts of Belgium and north-eastern France, passing through fields, cities, and towns.  This resulted in widespread population displacement in the area and fatalities among Europe's populations.

Poor personal hygiene was also very destructive to both civilians and troops. A flu pandemic struck Spain in 1918, near the end of the war, this pandemic struck the home fronts, causing devastation on military soldiers and civilians.  As a result, these elements came together to produce terrible circumstances for civilians at home. CHANGE SLIDE

Resources were another problem for civilian populations.  For instance, during the conflict, the German home front experienced difficulties.  Germans refer to the period from 1916 to 1917 as the "Turnip Winter" because there were few dietary options available to them. Turnips, which were typically used to feed livestock, were instead left for people to consume. In addition, historians estimate that up to 474,000 German residents died from malnutrition.

​To ensure that as many resources as possible were directed towards the war endeavour, governments in North America and Europe controlled the production and use of resources.  People on the home front had to divide food and other supplies to prepare them for use on the front lines.  Food products like sugar, butter, meat, and bread were rationed. Because German submarines in the North Atlantic sank merchant ships and slowed commerce to and from the island nation of Britain, rationing was even more crucial. CHANGE SLIDE 

The governments of the period used propaganda to persuade citizens of certain messages in order to advance rationing and other projects.  For instance, governments distributed propaganda to demonise the enemy, ration certain goods, and recruit troops for the war.  To ensure that they supported the war effort and to maintain the drive for success, the home front population was constantly messaged. Later on, citizens on the home front were impacted when their governments opted to draft or recruit soldiers for war; this meant that men’s participation in the war was no longer optional.  To make the decisive push towards victory and put an end to World War I's fighting, nations took this action to expand the size of their armed forces. CHANGE SLIDE

The battle of women for equity was greatly influenced by World War I. This war is an example of a total war, which involves all aspects of society being used towards the war effort. World War I saw the first significant wave of women entering the workforce, as many of the men in these societies had left for the front lines.  These women accepted positions in the factories which produced military hardware.  They also held jobs in other areas, such as offices.  CHANGE SLIDE

As part of the women's workforce that took up wartime employment in the production of munitions during the First World War, CHANGE SLIDE The Munitionettes, or Canary Girls as they were known, were a group of the women who started working at the same time as popular feminist and suffrage movements across North America and Europe. Even though these women were spared of the suffering of the trenches, their occupations were still dangerous. Workers in the munitions industry battling the 1915 "shell crisis" were easy targets for enemy fire, and enemy bombs regularly destroyed sites. Those who avoided such a fate faced everyday danger from handling explosive chemicals, increasing their risk of contracting potentially deadly illnesses. The results of some of their works were also instantly apparent; a horrible shade of yellow stained their skin and hair and gave them the nickname of "Canary Girls."

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