International Relief and Solidarity

France's home front received substantial international support. American charities, organized before US entry, provided crucial assistance. The American Fund for French Wounded, led by Anne Morgan, established hospitals and rehabilitation centers. The American Committee for Devastated France rebuilt villages, restored agriculture.

Neutral nations contributed significantly. Swiss organizations aided prisoners of war families. Spanish workers replaced mobilized Frenchmen in southern agriculture. Swedish Red Cross provided medical supplies. This international solidarity, transcending wartime divisions, demonstrated humanitarian impulses surviving amid slaughter.

Colonial contributions extended beyond soldiers and workers. Madagascar increased food exports to France. North African phosphates fertilized French fields. Indochinese rice supplemented dwindling grain supplies. New Caledonian nickel proved essential for steel production. The empire, usually exploited by France, became lifeline for metropolitan survival.