Food Rationing During
the Second World War
War makes people suffer. Soldiers suffer while fighting in the battlefield. Their families suffer from the loss of their loved ones. Civilians suffer because of the bombings in addition to hunger and famines.
During the war, it was more difficult to find and sell food and the population risked starvation because of the lack of food supply. It is the government’s task to make choices regarding how to provide the population with food to prevent starvation. During the Second World War, the State started to organise the collection of basic foodstuff to be redistributed to the population according to their needs and the number of people in each city. From 1942, people were given 150 grams of bread which was barely enough to survive because of its quantity and its quality. The bread given to the population in wartime was not made using wheat flour, but instead with various ingredients, which would lead to a drop in quality. They were also given small quantities of pasta, however meat completely disappeared from the markets.
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The problem of food supplies became more and more critical over the war years, until it led to major consequences in the economic sector. As a result, the black market (where unavailable food products could be bought) grew exponentially. However, illegal sellers established the food prices, which were too high for the poor population causing continuous problems. They could not afford to buy these basic products, which were essential to survive. Hunger was still a crucial issue.
A further solution to help people finding food and ending their hunger was the creation of “Orti di Guerra” (War Gardens). In many cities, urban areas that were supposed to become parks and flowerbeds, were tilled and crops were planted. There were more useful resources to feed the civilians’ hungry mouths as a result of these methods. During the war, the population encountered many difficulties in all aspects of their lives. Governments attempted to solve their problems, but difficult situations such as war and famine also lead to an increase of criminality that had serious negative consequences on the population. As always, innocents suffered the most.
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Source: “Vivere in Guerra – I Razionamenti” https://www.storiaememoriadibologna.it/files/vecchio_archivio/seconda-guerra/d/dai_monti_alle_risaie.pdf