"The Home Front" did an excellent job portraying the struggles caused by war, even in places where there is not fighting. The sense of nationalism that can push countries to work harder to win a war can also push them over the edge, by completely draining their resources. "The Home Front" is a first-hand account of the shortages of EVERYTHING that total war can cause. While the efforts of the home front may have helped the soldiers fighting, it certainly did not help the country they were fighting for, their homeland. Some say that "war stimulates the economy," but as shown here, all that war and a strong sense of nationalism do is lead a country to poverty and hunger.
When a country drains itself in this way, it literally weakens its citizens, so in the end the sacrifice of the "home front" can backfire, as when reinforcements are needed those in authority may find that the general population is starving, and not in any fit state to fight.
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I agree on all of your points and how nationalism can turn the country into poverty and how it could push countries over the edge. Countries that go over the edge and attempt to win the war by sucking all the resources has a cause and effect on themselves. Total war causes the entire country to go into war, which effects the citizens to the point where they are always hungry and have to endure poverty.
ReplyDeleteI think your last point is especially important. It not only reduces citizens desire to fight for their country, but it also reduces their actual ability to fight. This makes it extremely difficult to maintain a state of total war for extended periods of time.
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