Total war inevitably resulted in the displacement of population such as refugees fleeing persecution or transported foreign workers who were compelled to become involved in the war effort as was the case in Nazi Germany. But the Second World War also created opportunities for migrants to take advantage of the incessant demand for labour that is fuelled by the exigencies of total war. Conscription and increased levels of wartime production ensured that female, over-age and migrant workers were required to fill the gaps in the labour force left by those who joined the armed forces. During the First World War Irish migrants travelled to Britain to work in munitions factories. A similar movement of population across the Irish Sea occurred during the Second World War, although in contrast with the 1914–18 period, these workers were now the citizens of a neutral state, and this caused both the British and Irish governments a whole host of difficulties, as we will see later.

Whereas the First World War undoubtedly had a beneficial effect on Ireland's prosperity, the onset of the Second World War exposed the vulnerability of a small, heavily protected economy, reliant on imports from one of the principal combatants – Britain. The wartime experience in neutral Ireland was characterised by austerity, the most obvious example being the fact that supplies of essential products were subject to rationing. In addition, the shortage of raw materials seriously affected production in agriculture and industry alike.