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What are some ways that life for civilians
would be changed when their country
goes to war?
Come up with 3 things.
WWI --The Home Front &
Armenian Genocide
Total War
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WWI required an effort from all citizens.
Even those that were not soldiers had to
do things that aided the war effort.
All resources had to go to the war effort.
Managed Economies
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Governments started to mange their
economies.
A departure from laissez faire capitalism
Govt. sets production quotas, prices,
wages, etc.
Rationing
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To make sure that the armies had
enough food and materials, rationing
was used in all countries.
Rationing = The govt. tells people they
can have only certain amounts of
important things.
Such as: food, steel, iron, petroleum,
rubber, cloth.
The Govt. took control over most
businesses and only allowed them to
make things that were important to the
war.
Conscription
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The draft.
Belligerent governments forced their
citizens to serve in the military.
More than 70-million men were drafted.
Women
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With so many men going away from
home to fight, women took their
places in the workplace.
Women also served as nurses and
in supporting military roles.
When the war ended, many women
had to give up their jobs to the men
who came back.
Restrictions on Civil Liberties

What are civil liberties?
Civil Liberties = People’s rights.
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Such as: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc.
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During the war, most governments did not allow citizens to criticize
the government or the war.
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If people did, they went to jail.

It would be like if you were not allowed to criticize Bush or the Iraq
war.
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Propaganda
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Almost all of the countries
used propaganda.
Propaganda = Using media
to try an influence the way
people think.
The countries wanted to get
their citizens to support the
war effort.
Propaganda Posters
Armenian Genocide

Armenians are people that live in Ottoman
Empire.

Ottoman Turks are Muslims

Armenians are Christians.

Armenians want independence (nationalism) and
so they support the Allies.

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Ottoman Turks begin genocide of
Armenians.
Genocide = trying to intentionally kill a
race or group of people.
600,000 Armenians are killed.
Ottoman Empire
Review

Why was WWI considered a “total war”?

What is rationing?

What were some of the things that were rationed during WWI?

How did the war impact women?

How (and why) did countries begin to restrict the civil liberties of their
citizens during the war?

Do you think that it is ok for governments to restrict free speech in times of
war? Why or why not?

What is propaganda?

What were some of the things that governments used propaganda to get
people to do during the war?
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Whom did the Turks wage genocide against during WWI?