World War II And Rationing

“Rationing At Its Best”  Website created by: Keith Buehler  Last Updated: 2/12/08

         Rationing was a tactic used by the United States, and other countries during World War II.  This allowed the countries to save supplies such as food or rubber, and use it for the American military

on the war front.

Useful Sources Concerning Rationing...

Bailey, Ronald H. "Rationing." The Home Front U.S.A. 110-113.

             The Home Front U.S.A. is a top notch reference for rationing during World War Two. It utilizes different view points from the time period and gives first hand photographs from the time period of various foods that were rationed, charts that were used, and rationing cards. Use this resource because it can give you abundant information and provide a great resource for your research. 

"Economic Apogee, 1938-1873." Encyclopedia Of The United States In The                          Twentieth Century III. Ed. Stanley I Kutler, et al. 3rd ed. 4 vols. New              York.1163-1165.

             The Encyclopedia of the United States In the 20th Century
3rd edition is a top resource for many different American history topics
 including rationing during World War Two. It tells of when the government exactly started rationing on the home front and what the government rationed. It also gives percentages of how the supplies contributed to the war and describes how the American citizens made different sacrifices. This may be found in the 973 section of most libraries. 

Hayes, Joanne Lamb. Grandma's Wartime Baking. TC Swingin' Hepcats. 25 Jan.              <2008<http://www.swinginhepcats.com/World_War_II/cookbooks.html>.

             Another great resource on rationing is Grandma's Wartime Baking by Joanne Lamb Hayes. This book is similar to Grandma's Wartime Kitchen by Joanna Hayes. This book gives recipes for baking during World War II and also adds illustrations of the time period for further understanding by the reader. This is a hands on way of learning how families cooked during the rationing period throughout most of World War II. You can bake meals that take into account rationing during the time period. It gives you the ingredients you save and how to save these ingredients in today's recipes. This is a great resource for hands on projects from during World War II. 

 

Grandma's Wartime Kitchen. TC Swingin' Hepcats. 25 Jan. 2008
     <http://www.swinginhepcats.com/World_War_II/cookbooks.html>.
    

              Grandma's Wartime Kitchen is a great read for really understanding what types of food were made during World War II. Rationing greatly limited the foods Americans could make on the home front. This book is a cookbook that gives you 150 recipes with information on cooking from that time period. What better way is there to learn about rationing than to experience it first hand by making a meal from the rationing period during World War II. 

 

"Rationing." Americans At War. Ed. John P. Resch. 3rd ed. 4 vols.

 

             This resource is excellent for a short summary on World War Two and rationing. Under the section of World War Two after the large heading of Rationing will really help you out with this topic. It gives a great illustration of rationing during the time period such as when it started and when it was at its most strict point. This is a top resource for researching this topic and should be used because it contains an abundant of information. The book number on this source is 973, it may vary at different library locations. 
      

      
      

Useful Online Journals…

Eating for Victory: Food Rationing and Policies of Domesticity." Peace Research
     Abstracts. 27 Jan. 2008 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org>.

 

             This online journal is found using First Search database and could be a great help for those researching rationing during World War Two. It's a great collection of many articles that allows for different views on rationing
and in depth explanation on the matter. Depending on what you are looking for it is hit or miss with different journals, but as for rationing it's a
must use source for reliable information. 

 

Publishing in Wartime: The Modern Library Series During The Second World              War. 27 Jan. 2008 <http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org>.

            

             This is an online journal that provides a whole series of journals that supply a reader with  information on the home front in World War Two, more specifically rationing in the United States during World War II. The major focus towards rationing in this journal is food, such as what was regularly available and what wasn't. Most meats and sweets had high demand and low supply. Many people bulked up on more food than they would usually get because of fear of worse times ahead. This is great for researchers on the topic because the reader can read straight through the journals and become well informed on different aspects of rationing.