The+European+Homefront

a. How was life on the home front affected by the war? 1. TREATMENT OF THE CIVIL POPULATION (a) KILLING OF NON-COMBATTANTS (b) TREATMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN (c) THE USE OF CIVILIANS AS SCREENS (d) THE LOOTING, BURNING, AND DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY 2. OFFENCES AGAINST COMBATANTS (a) KILLING THE WOUNDED OR PRISONERS (b) FIRING ON HOSPITALS (c) ABUSE OF RED CROSS-AND WHITE FLAG

CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE A RADICAL VIDEO! [] media type="file" key="Home Front Podcast REAL.mp3" width="240" height="20" (Warning: Podcast states that the Russian Revolution began in March, this is a lie.) During World War 1, there were many conflicts occurring through out Europe. Although many of the battles were important, one of the main influences through out the war was the Home Front. Some key points of the home fronts of the countries involved in WWI were the Russian revolution, the changes in the role of women in many fields, and the overall living conditions of the average civilians. February 1917, the Russian revolution breaks out. The people of Russia felt as though they were losing the war. Proper clothing, ammunition and food supplies had ceased to reach the front lines and it seemed as though the leaders and officers were ignoring the loss of lives. The Czar also refused to make governmental reforms demanded by the people. In a matter of three days the Czar was forced to step down. The first revolution was in February 1917, the Czar was replaced with a provisional government. The second revolution took place during October of 1917, the provisional government was replaced with a Bolshevik government. As a result of both revolutions the Soviet Union was formed. As WWI began, many women seemed equally as excited as men to be part of the war effort. This war was seen by many women fighting for rights as a way to show they were just as capable as men to have an effect in a time of fighting. Women worked in factories making weapons and ammunition for their armies. Some were also nurses on the front lines for soldiers who were wounded in the trenches. In some countries women were also part of the fighting force, but these were very rare cases. During the war there was a group of women called the “Order of the White Feathers.” These women would carry around white feather to symbolize cowardice and hand them out to men of military age who were not in uniform. The French Prime Minister even made a special appeal to the women of his country to take the leading part in the harvest. These women remained strong and contributed to the war effort in the face of food shortages and the fear of invasion. Concern for the mistreatment of civilians on the home front was also an issue during WWI. There were complaints all over for the welfare of citizens in invaded territories, a large number of them being complaints against the Germans. There were cases in which towns and homes were looted or burned. Also, there were instances of the killing of non-combatants. There are even stories of soldiers firing on hospitals, and also killing the wounded or prisoners. Never before had there been the kind of “total war” witnessed by these people. All of these situations dented the morale of the people on the home front, which affected the morale of those on the front lines. There needs to be people cheering at home for an army to have something to fight for. The home Front was a vital influential force for all countries involved in WWI. Change was brought about for the rights of women, governments were overthrown and new ones put into place, and the everyday civilians got a bitter taste of what true war really means. Without a home front to protect and to serve, what would armies even be fighting for. The home front is the solid base on which WWI was built.

Wade, Rex A. (2005). [|__The Russian Revolution, 1917__] . Cambridge University Press. [|__ISBN__] [|__9780521841559__] . [|__http://books.google.com/books?id=uBfnjdxFUkUC__] . Retrieved 1 September 2010.

Freund, Gerald. "World War I: Eastern Front." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. "The First World War: Canada Remembers." CBC Archives. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. . <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cavendish, Marshall. History of World War I. Marshall Cavendish Reference Books, 2002. Print.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The Bryce Report, 1914." The World War I Document Archive. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/BryceReport/bryce_r.html>.