What is the rationing system in the Soviet Union?

After World War I, the Russian Soviet regime was stable. For several years, due to the difficulties caused by the long-term war, rations were rationed among residents.

With the adjustment of Lenin's new economic policy and the recovery of the national economy, the ration system was once cancelled. Consumer cooperatives have become the main channel for people to obtain food. You can buy things cheaper than private ones in the shops and kiosks of public catering companies, bread and other agricultural products trading companies and meat companies. After Stalin came to power in the late 192s and early 193s, the Soviet Union implemented a harsh collective farm policy to exploit farmers and export a large number of agricultural products to complete the original accumulation of industry. There were several food supply crises in the Soviet Union. Due to the deviation of collectivization, the destructive consequences caused by the excessive burden on farmers, and the increase of urban, industrial and mining populations, the supply of food and non-staple food was tight again. In order to ensure the supply of workers and urban residents and the reserve of military food, the Soviet government had to control the consumption of agricultural products, and issued shopping cards in the same way as in the past. There are generally three types of such shopping cards.

first, workers, engineers, technicians, scientists and writers can buy 4g of white bread every day. 4 grams of brown bread, you can buy 1 kilogram of flour or other grain, 1 kilogram of sugar, 25 grams of tea and several kilograms of vegetables every month. People with important positions can also buy several kilograms of meat, fish, butter and sugar. Heavy industry workers can also buy 2 kilograms of beef and mutton, 1.5 kilograms of butter and jam each.

second, secretaries, accountants, shop assistants and light manual workers can buy 2g of white bread, 2g of brown bread and several kilograms of vegetables every day, and 25g of tea every two months.

Third, the amount children buy is similar to that of the second category, but they can buy a few kilograms of beef, mutton and butter. The above three types of people, after receiving the shopping card, must first hold the card to the nearby internal store and stamp it, and buy it in the store, and must not move.

Then, measures were taken to expand the food supply for workers and increase the number of public food outlets. In 1931, the workers' internal cooperative was established. In 1932, state farms and non-staple food production were attached to workers' internal cooperatives. In this way, workers can get a lot of food that exceeds the ration. In large enterprises, canteens have been set up to give workers preferential meals. According to statistics, from 1928 to 194, the number of public catering enterprises in China increased from 14,6 to 87,6. In 1928, there were only 167 canteens in Moscow with 18, diners. In 1932, the number of canteens in Moscow had increased to 1,, with 1.6 million diners, equivalent to 1/3 of the total population. Eating in public canteens has become a common habit.

The diet and breakfast of the Soviets are relatively simple. Take the staff as an example. After getting up, just have a cup of tea at home or in the street and eat some bread. At noon, some go to the canteen to buy a piece of bread with sausage or cheese and butter, and have a cup of black tea to send a meal. Some people have a good lunch in the canteen with a meal ticket issued by the office. Lunch is usually a pot of soup, a plate of meat or fish and a drink. There are several kinds of soup, meat, fish and drinks for anyone to choose from. Bread has white bread and black bread, and it is black and white at any table, so anyone can choose. In addition, the canteen sometimes serves kebabs, fried rice with onions, mutton, eggs and other famous foods (such as hand-grabbed rice). Dinner is also relatively simple, with less soup and mostly only one meat dish or fish.

traditional vodka is still popular. When celebrating and entertaining guests, they all enjoy drinking. But alcoholism is widely condemned. In factories, entertainment places and advertising columns, you can see satirical cartoons and slogans against alcoholism. Kvas and fruit soup are common drinks. Tea is essential for home use, and most of it is imported from China, India and Japan. Georgian tea introduced from China in the 19th century is also sold from time to time. Coffee has entered ordinary households. There is a cafe on the street. But people just drink a cup of coffee or black tea and eat a few cookies to satisfy their hunger, not to socialize.

after the completion of agricultural collectivization, the shortage of food supply in the Soviet Union has eased. On January 1, 1935, the bread and flour rationing system was officially abolished. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, all kinds of food rations were cancelled.

On June 22nd, 41, the Soviet-German War broke out, and the disaster of the war led to a sharp decline in the agricultural output of the Soviet Union. In 1941, the grain output of the Soviet Union plunged from 95.6 million tons in the previous year to 55.9 million tons, and then plunged to 29.7 million tons in 1942. In that year, the potato output was only 23.8 million tons, the meat slaughter weight was about 1.8 million tons, and the sugar beet fell to 2.1 million tons, which was only 12% of the pre-war level. To make matters worse, most of the more than 6 million tons of grain stored by the Soviet Union before the war either fell into the hands of the rapidly advancing Germans or were burned by the Soviets themselves.

As of November 1941, with the collapse of the Red Army, 38% of the grain producing areas, 84% of the sugar producing areas, 38% of the large livestock and 6% of the pigs in the Soviet Union fell into the hands of the Germans. By 1942, 47% of the cultivated land in the whole Soviet Union had been lost. At the same time, the Soviet Union also lost 4.5% and 32.86% of tractors and combine harvesters they owned in 194. More than 8% of the remaining tractors and cars were requisitioned. At the same time, a large number of young and strong laborers were sent to the front. To fill their vacancies, a large number of women, Soviet officials also made a decision to mobilize teenagers over 14 to participate in grain production. Because the supply of agricultural machinery stopped in wartime, many women, old and weak, had to use their bodies to pull plows.

In 1942, the agricultural output value was only 38% of that of 194, but there were 13 million people in the rear of the Soviet Union who needed to feed. Among them, the population of commodity grain is 61.7 million (4.9 million urban population, 2.8 million agricultural population), while the key supply of troops and national economic sector workers is about 25-26 million, and the shadow of hunger and death hangs over the heads of all Soviets. However, the situation of the Red Army, which has been ensured with emphasis, may not be so good. In 1942, many soldiers only had 1 kg of "adulterated" brown bread every day.

At the same time of centralized supply of troops and workers, tens of millions of collective farm workers were asked to tighten their belts. In 1942, only 2 million tons of grain were allocated to those who were engaged in heavy manual labor in the fields, and only 8 grams of grain and 4 grams of potatoes were available on labor days. But the food of the collective farm workers is not necessarily tight. In addition to getting a share of food from the collective farm, they can also plant vegetables and miscellaneous grains in the open space next to the house. Each farmer can raise one cow, one or two piglets, one or two sheep and 1 or 15 chickens. These vegetables, miscellaneous grains, livestock and chickens can be sold for personal use. During the war, farmers increased their income by selling surplus products on the black market because of the rising price of food.

However, the Soviet Union has widely adopted compulsory measures to increase working hours. As early as June 25, 1941, the fourth day after the war broke out, the Soviet Union passed the Regulations on Working Hours of Wartime Workers. In December, it was stipulated that the responsibility for absenteeism of employees in military enterprises should be investigated. Those who neglect and are too late will be sentenced. And punishment, in fact, is to engage in work with higher intensity and worse conditions. Even women and teenagers, who account for more than half of Soviet workers, are not exempt from this punishment.

in 1942, the Soviet union continued to strengthen its military production management. The working hours of workers are set at 14 hours. In addition, the Soviet Union added 1.5 million working hours by means of compulsory increase in working hours, overtime work and suspension of vacations. Many workers who lack nutrition are working around the lathe day and night.

from p>1941 to 1942, the west aided 6, tanks, 3, planes and 36, trucks. During the same period, Soviet weapons output: 28, tanks, 33, planes and 4, trucks.

in p>1942, the Soviet union lost 24, tanks. During the war, 68% of Soviet tank brigades used domestic tanks completely, 17%~22% used foreign tanks (the proportion was about 4%), and 1% ~ 15% used allied tanks.

In order to centrally supply the army and military workers, the Soviet Union not only began to implement grain rationing in various cities on November 1, 1941, but also concentrated agricultural products to the maximum extent, collecting 12.516 million tons of all 29.7 million tons of grain in 1942, 1.2 million tons of 1.8 million tons of meat, about 1 million tons of beets and more than 2 million tons of milk into the hands of the state. These grains were used to supply the Red Army. In wartime, the army can get 1 million tons of grain and feed every year. Since 1942, the total amount of this army (including training soldiers) has been maintained at 9.7 million to 1 million (or more), and it has a large number of animals. In addition to the national food ration, urban residents can also buy a lot of meat, milk, potatoes and vegetables in the free market. Miners' enterprises and workers are allowed to cultivate the land, and it is stipulated that they can not take it back for five to seven years, but if workers leave the factory without authorization, they have no right to cultivate the land. In 1942, the Soviet Union had 5 million pieces of such land.

The production of civilian clothes has actually stopped, and only secondhand goods can be bought in state-owned stores. There are clothes on the black market, but they are expensive. All the people, except military uniforms, hardly added new clothes, shoes and socks. But there are no clothes, and they all have shoes to wear. I didn't wear anything particularly wide, nor did I wear anything particularly embarrassing. If there is a person wearing new clothes, it will be noticeable. However, on solemn occasions, such as going to the theatre, attending weddings and celebrating holidays, the situation is completely different: worn-out clothes disappear completely, and a clean, dignified and colorful atmosphere appears. It turns out that most people have a good set of clothes and wear them when necessary. In difficult times, in order to avoid hunger, the Soviet government took decisive measures to distribute food quantitatively. There are several levels of quantitative distribution. Soldiers, some party and government leaders, senior cadres, privileged foreigners, important technicians and professionals can get special shares, and they can go to special shops to buy things.

other residents distribute food according to four categories: students and ordinary staff each have 3g of bread per day, those who work 5g, and those who work in the most important positions have 8g. 1. Workers, including arsenal workers and other manual workers; 2. Freelancers and employees; Third, housewives, elderly people dependent on others, and school children; 4. Children under 6 years old. A kind of bread, sugar, meat, butter, grain and fish that can be shared more. The second category is second. The third and fourth categories, especially housewives and elderly people who depend on others, have the least income. Children under 6 years old can enjoy special supplies, including milk and a hot lunch. But when food is tight, sugar, butter and meat are often not available, no matter what kind of distribution.

Today, you told the Russians about "125g of brown bread", so his reaction must be the defence of Leningrad. 125 grams of brown bread can almost be equated with the battle of Leningrad. In the most difficult days when German troops besieged Leningrad, the only food that Leningrad civilians could get every day was this 125 grams of black bread mixed with sawdust.

In Russian memory, people queuing up to receive 125 grams of brown bread in a high counter window. The scene is as tense and dignified as receiving a huge sum of money in a bank.

The people of Leningrad suffer from hunger and cold. It is very common to see a sleigh carrying a baby's body wrapped in swaddling clothes being dragged to the cemetery by the child's mother, and sometimes even to see her fall beside her baby and die because she was exhausted by pulling the sleigh.

It is estimated that about 3, people die of hunger every day, despite the suicide driving of trucks across the ice of Lake Ladoga. These trucks drove along the marked path at night, bearing the fire of German artillery, and almost every night a car slipped into the ice cave and was swallowed up.

buses have no fuel, and there is no electric heating in their houses. Old wood-burning stoves have been found out of the waste pile, and many people have to burn their furniture to keep warm. People also suffer from diseases caused by malnutrition.

scurvy is prevalent. The women who waited in line for hours for bread that often didn't come covered their stomachs swollen with hunger under their thick coats.

flour is mixed with sawdust. The strong man ventured through a long and dangerous trek to dig potatoes in the frozen fields. With Leningrad suffering for a long time, there have been rumors about eating human flesh.

When the 9 days of hell in Leningrad ended, the city paid the price of 8, civilians starving to death and freezing to death.

In wartime, the West * * * provided 4.48 million tons of food to the Soviet Union, including:

1,154,18 tons of wheat,

672, tons of sugar,

782,973 tons of canned meat,

73,9 tons of sausage,

517,522 tons of vegetable oil,

milk powder.

the above-mentioned food can be converted into 3.5 million tons of compressed food, or into 2 million tons of flour and 1.2 million tons of livestock slaughter.

Soviet Union's own agricultural production in wartime:

The state * * * bought more than 7 million tons of grain (with a total output of 16 million tons), 5 million tons of meat (with a total output of 8 million tons) and 1 million tons of milk (with a total output of 7 million tons), which did not include a large number of potatoes (potatoes have always been)

Some people say that American food aid to the Soviet Union only accounts for 3% of the Soviet Union's total wartime food, so it is not worth promoting. But the reality is that the so-called wartime total grain output of the Soviet Union is only the statistical grain output, including soil and chaff. (After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, many economic and even military industrial statistics proved that there was a lot of water.) Because a large number of men went to the front, machinery and livestock also supported the front. Women, children and the elderly are left on collective farms. Using primitive farming methods, the wartime grain production of the Soviet Union fell to the lowest point in history. In 1942, the grain output decreased by more than 6% compared with 194. Without the help of its allies, the Soviet Union would have collapsed from hunger. Even if a small amount of these grains are inefficiently transported to flour mills and pastures where livestock are raised, how much will there be after they become canned bread and meat? Many foods aided by the United States can be eaten immediately. In the Soviet Union, people have to eat a lot of meat because of the cold weather. The meat in the Soviet Union is mainly produced by livestock eating grain (because of the cold weather and lack of pasture, only grains can be eaten, so the cost of meat in the Soviet Union is higher than that in other countries). The canned meat in the United States can be eaten immediately, which is very convenient. This is not comparable to the number of cows and pigs in the back of the paper. Western aid at least ensured the food and clothing of the Soviet army.

The Soviet Union was one of the countries with the strongest military strength during World War II, and it was the second industrial country in the world. At the beginning of the Soviet-German War, its GDP reached 43.3 billion US dollars, and the number of troops remained above 6 million at any time, reaching a peak of 12 million at the end of World War II, which can be said to be the largest in world history.