Women And War Essay Research Paper Trying

Women And War Essay, Research Paper

Trying to hold the homefront together while there was a war waging abroad was not an

easy task for women during World War I and II. Women were not only asked to complete the

daily chores that were normally expected of them, but they were asked to go to work. Suddenly

their very private lives were turned into a very public and patriotic cause.

Traditionally the woman’s place was thought to be in the home. She was responsible for

cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, and looking her best. So when war broke out it

was clear that America would not be able to win either of the World War’s without the help of

their women, the “traditional” housewife and mother turned into wartime worker. This is the

same for Germany. The men realized it would not be possible for them to continue their wartime

efforts without the help and support of the Nazi women.

World War I was a turning point in American history for women. Women had to put

aside their feminist movement and class issues because their national identity was seen as more

important then their own more private issues. They were going to participate and do their best

whether or not they received recognition, and even though they put their movements aside they

still stayed organized in their women’s groups and networks.

The Nazi women are very much like the American women in some respects. At the

beginning, before the war and before Hitler took power, they felt as if Liberalism was not doing

anything for them and it wasn’t working to anyone’s advantage. “Like their male counterparts,

Nazi women expressed contempt for democracy, liberalism, individualism, and decadence.”

(Koonz 97) The women were working long, hard hours in factories with very low wages, and

they felt economically exploited. When Nazism was introduced they supported it because they

felt it was a better alternative and the women felt a sense of unity not only with themselves, but

also with the men. In some respect one could call it a sense of nationalism, much like what the

American women had during both the World War’s. The Nazi women, unlike the American

women, went through three phases as Hitler was coming to power. The first, “women struggled

shoulder to shoulder with their male comrades.” And After Hitler gained control he “ordered

employed women to relinquish their jobs and dedicate there full energies to rearing large

families.” The third phase was when they were preparing for a war and Hitler sent the women

back out to work. But throughout each of these stages the women were considered unimportant

by the Nazi men, yet crucial if they should succeed. (Koonz 97)

American women were crucial to the success for the World War’s, and they were never

considered unimportant. In fact, they were considered so important that after the first World War

they were granted suffrage as a reward for all their hard work and support during the war. After

World War I when they received their equal rights women began cutting their hair short. The

new fashion trend was both a trend and a political statement. It was a blurring of the gender lines

showing that both men and women could be considered the same and equal. Some critics found

“two aspects of the new styles particularly offensive: first, their ability to blur the boundaries of

sexual difference, causing women not only to look like men, but also to act like men, and,

second, their apparent lack of modesty.” (Roberts 74)

During the war women had adopted a minimalist style that included efficient dressing and

this style carried over after the war. These new styles were considered to be “the spirit of the

era,” and “a sign of the times.” (Roberts 72) Some “post war observers interpreted it as a visible

language for the wars social upheaval.” (Roberts 73). Actually, the post war fashion was

symbolic of the new physical mobility and freedom, not only in their dress, but also in the world