Overview of many civilian occupations during World War II. Reupload of a previously uploaded film with improved video & sound. Originally a public domain film from the Library of Congress Prelinger Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_fro... Wikipedia license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... The home front covers the activities of the civilians in a nation at war. World War II was a total war; homeland production became even more invaluable to both the Allied and Axis powers. Life on the home front during World War II was a significant part of the war effort for all participants and had a major impact on the outcome of the war. Governments became involved with new issues such as rationing, manpower allocation, home defense, evacuation in the face of air raids, and response to occupation by an enemy power. The morale and psychology of the people responded to leadership and propaganda. Typically women were mobilized to an unprecedented degree. The success in mobilizing economic output was a major factor in supporting combat operations. All of the powers involved had learned from their experiences on the Home front during World War I and tried to use its lessons and avoid its possible sources of error... The major powers devoted 50--61 percent of their total GDP to munitions production. The Allies produced about three times as much in munitions as the Axis powers... Allies The Allies called themselves the "United Nations" (even before that organization formed in 1945), and pledged their support to the Atlantic Charter of 1941. The Charter stated the ideal goals of the war: no territorial aggrandizement; no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people; restoration of self-government to those deprived of it; free access to raw materials; reduction of trade restrictions; global cooperation to secure better economic and social conditions for all; freedom from fear and want; freedom of the seas; and abandonment of the use of force, as well as the disarmament of aggressor nations... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_S... The United States home front during World War II, supported the war effort in many ways, including a wide range of volunteer efforts and submitting to government-managed rationing and price controls. The labor market changed radically and peacetime conflicts with respect to race and labor took on a special dimension because of the intense pressure for national unity. The Hollywood film industry found a role to play and every aspect of life from politics to personal savings changed when put on a wartime footing... Labor The unemployment problem ended in the United States with the mobilization for war. Greater wartime production created millions of new jobs, while the draft reduced the number of young men available for civilian jobs. So great was the demand for labor that millions of retired people, housewives, and students entered the labor force, lured by patriotism and wages. The shortage of grocery clerks caused some stores to convert from service at the counter to self-service and to lower shelves to 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m), allegedly the height that a woman could reach. Before the war most groceries, dry cleaners, drugstores, and department stores offered home delivery service. The labor shortage and gasoline and tire rationing caused many stores to stop delivery. They found that requiring customers to buy their products in person increased sales...
