1. Civilian Casualties: Millions of civilians died during World War 2, mostly due to aerial bombing, artillery shelling, deliberate starvation, executions, and disease. Civilians in cities like London, Berlin, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki experienced extensive bombing that resulted in significant loss of life and property.
2. Concentration Camps and Genocide: The Nazi regime in Germany carried out a systematic genocide known as the Holocaust, targeting primarily Jews but also other groups such as Romani people, homosexuals, political dissidents, and disabled individuals. Millions of people were sent to concentration camps, where they were subjected to inhumane conditions, torture, forced labor, starvation, and mass murder.
3. Occupation and Collaboration: Many countries were occupied by Axis forces during World War 2, including Poland, France, Czechoslovakia, and several Eastern European nations. While some locals resisted or engaged in sabotage against the occupiers, others collaborated with them for various reasons, often leading to conflicts within societies.
4. Persecution of Minorities: During the war, several countries engaged in targeted persecution of marginalized groups. Apart from the Holocaust, there were also atrocities committed against Chinese civilians in Japanese-occupied territories, oppression of Polish citizens by the Nazi regime, and persecution of various minority groups in the Soviet Union.
5. POW Treatment: Prisoners of war (POWs) experienced varied treatment depending on their captors. While some countries adhered to the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of POWs, others disregarded them and subjected prisoners to starvation, torture, forced labor, and executions.
6. Women and Children: Women assumed greater roles in various industries and public services as men went to war. However, they still faced gender-based discrimination and often received lower wages than their male counterparts. Children suffered greatly during the war, as many experienced displacement, trauma, and starvation.
7. Forced Labor: Millions of civilians were forcibly displaced and subjected to slave labor in industries and farms, especially in Nazi-occupied Europe and Japanese-occupied territories. They often worked under hazardous conditions and suffered severe abuse.
Overall, the treatment of people during World War 2 was marked by widespread human rights abuses, atrocities, and deliberate targeting of various population groups. The war resulted in profound suffering, trauma, and the loss of tens of millions of lives.