Rationing

__WORLD WAR II RATIONING __

Rationing: –noun: a fixed allowance of provisions or food, especially for soldiers or sailors or for civilians during a shortage: a daily ration of meat and bread.

Making It Happen : In the spring of 1942, during the Second World War, the United States government set up the Food Rationing Program. War ration books and tokens were distributed by the Office of Price Administration to American families dictating the quantity of consumer goods each family could purchase. These coupons were based on family size and distributed in coupon books. Different colored stamps authorized the purchase of specific goods. Rationing was also tracked by a point system. Each family received a set amount of points to spend on “point valued” goods.

WHY? : The federal government needed to control the supply and demand of the American economy to provide food, clothing and equipment for the war efforts. They approached rationing in such a way to avoid public anger with shortages.

Effects : Although many followed the system of rationing, some delved into a world of black market trade. Since access to luxuries was restricted, black markets sold scarce items for a higher price. Other people found legal ways around rationing such as victory gardens. These small home vegetable gardens provided families with more food than rationing allowed. People living in rural areas almost completely avoided rationing by growing crops and nurturing animals on farms.



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Types of Rationing:

__Uniform Coupon Rationing __: Provided equal shares of a single product to all consumers (example: families would be given stamps that allowed them to buy a certain amount of a certain food item such as sugar or coffee)

__Point rationing __: Provided equal shares of products by coupons issued for points which could be spent for any combination of items in a specific group (example: families would be given coupons that they could use to buy specific food from the categories: processed food, meats, cheeses, and fats where they could buy any combination of specific foods form these groups)

__Differential Coupon Rationing __<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">: <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Provided amounts of a product according to different needs(example: a person who drove a vehicle that was essential to the war effort was given a “B” coupon, which allowed them 8 gallons of gas per week. On the other hand anyone who drove a truck was given a “T” coupon was allowed unlimited amounts of gas per week. )

__<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Certificate Rationing __<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">: <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Allowed individuals to purchase a product after showing an application that showed that they needed that specific product (example: if an individual got a flat tire they could get an application that allowed them to purchase a tire and explained why they needed it)

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Cars** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Bicycles** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Gasoline** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Fuel Oil & Kerosene** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Solid Fuels** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Stoves** ||  || <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Rationing Duration <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**February 1942 to October 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**July 1942 to September 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**May 1942 to August 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**October 1942 to August 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**September 1943 to August 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**December 1942 to August 1945** || <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Shoes** ||  || **<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">October 1942 to September 1945 ** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**February 1943 to October 1945** || <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Coffee** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Processed Foods** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Meats, canned fish** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Cheese, canned milk, fats** ||  || **<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">May 1942 to 1947 ** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**November 1942 to July 1943** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**March 1943 to August 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**March 1943 to November 1945** <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**March 1943 to November 1945** ||
 * <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Rationed Items
 * <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Tires **
 * <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Tires **
 * <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">January 1942 to December 1945 **
 * **<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Rubber Footwear **
 * **<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Sugar **
 * **<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">Typewriters ** ||  || **<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 14pt;">March 1942 to April 1944 ** ||

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