Life During World War II
In the early years of WWII, daily life for ordinary Germans remained relatively normal. The Nazi conquest of other countries initially increased supplies of raw materials. However, rationing was introduced in 1939, and women were eventually forced back into the workforce despite the regime's earlier policies sending them home.
After Germany's defeat at Stalingrad in 1943 (a major turning point), civilian life deteriorated rapidly. German cities faced devastating Allied bombing raids. Food shortages worsened, and rationing became more severe. By 1943, civilian goods production stopped entirely, and by 1944, all workers were directed to armament production.
Tragic reality: While German civilians suffered during the later war years, the suffering imposed on Jews and other victims reached unprecedented levels of horror through the "Final Solution."
During the war, the persecution of Jews reached its most horrific phase. Jews were first confined to ghettos—sealed areas with terrible conditions where thousands died from starvation, disease, and cold. Anyone attempting to escape was shot. The Warsaw Ghetto alone saw 83,000 deaths. The "Final Solution" then escalated with the construction of death camps primarily in Poland. By the war's end in 1945, six million Jews had been murdered in what we now call the Holocaust.