Re: Rationing, recycling in WWII
Ernest Blaschke (eblasch@worldy.com)
Sun, 26 Jan 1997 14:35:20 -0500
Hi Jim,
>My name is Jim Froelich. I am sixteen, and a Sophomore at Red River High
School in Grand Forks, North Dakota (USA).
I am Ernest, and during WWII lived in Vienna, Austria - then part of
Germany.
>We are studying WW2 in our English class, and are doing reports on the
topics of our choice. I have chosen the subject of rationing and recycling
in WW2. I would appreciate your help in answering some questions for me.
They are:
> What types of products were rationed in the area you were in during World
War 2?
Most food and cigarettes. If you didn't smoke you had some valuable coupons
to trade,since smokers would gladly give up some of their food ration for
cigarette coupons.
> What types of materials were recycled, and how were they used?
Recycling was not of the concern it is nowadays, particularly since there
was so much less
waste. Packaging was minimal, if you went shopping for food you brought
your own bag made of cloth to carry things in, no paper bags; plastic
wasn't invented yet, so much of what is "waste" today wasn't even produced.
On an industrial scale metals were recycled.
> What effect did rationing and recycling have on civilian life? {I am
working on topics such as Victory Gardens, cars, travel, luxuries, black
market, patriotic attitude, and entertainment.}
Food rationing did provide a somewhat more even distribution of what was
available. If you knew a farmer you could swap items for extra food he
would supply. Cars were hard to come by. You can judge that by the fact
that there were only a handful of traffic lights in Vienna (a city of over
a million and a half people) during WWII. (policemen at intersections
regulated traffic where required). Travel, luxuries,and patriotic attitudes
were pretty well absent as well during the war. The black market flourished
as things became harder to obtain. Entertainment was confined to movies and
theatrical performances.
>I guess I am asking lots of questions, but that's the only way I'll find
out, right?
>Jim Froelich
Many of my ancestors were Froehlichs (your family must have dropped the
extra h).
I wish you good luck with your report.
Ernest in Toronto, Canada.
internet mail: eblasch@worldy.com