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WW2 weekly ration of sugar, tea, margarine, 'national butter', lard, eggs, bacon and cheese for an adult in the UK, WW2, 1942
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this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
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1 egg per week? My wife would riot
If you had kids in the household, you got more eggs on your ration cards, same with milk when it became rationed. Housewives would find ways to combine the entire households rations to feel like more for everyone. One egg and a rasher of bacon per person doesn't fill anyone, but if you have a family of 4, suddenly four eggs and 4 rashers of bacon, in a potato bake/ flour stretched quiche is a filling meal, and you might get 6-8 serves from those 4 peoples rations.
I would have to find a neighbor with kids and see if they would take a swap of my portion of ingredients for the end product.
Yeah, rationing was easily one of the most hated things on the British home front. Rationing continued several years after the war and more or less directly led to the Labour government losing to the Conservatives over the issue of continuing rationing.
Things that were less obvious to the general public were rationed until 80s, maybe even early 90s. Certain types of fluids for machinery hydraulics, certain types of alloys, a large number of purified chemicals for a wide range of industries and uses.
Why did it continue?
I mean… that’s not quite right. The combined food board stopped in 1946, which certainly didn’t help, but the Labour government made many choices that didn’t help the cause combined with bad luck. Wikipedia certainly doesn't agree with your assessments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationing_in_the_United_Kingdom#Post-Second_World_War_1945%E2%80%931954
Lend-lease repayments didn’t start til 1951. That repayment plan was 50 years at 2% interest. The US lend-lease plan involved the US giving the UK $31B, that’s the equivalent to $500B today. How that could be anything by a gigantic gift between allies I’m unclear.
That’s a lot of money. I’m sorry you think it was harsh - but it doesn’t read that way to me at all.
More importantly, the US was the one leading the rebuilding of Germany - France and the UK were still trying to dismantle German heavy industry until 1950 or so. The UK (but more especially France) spent more time repressing the German economy post-war (just like post WW1..........) than trying to build it back up.
Then there was the Marshall Plan, which the UK received 26% of the total funds from (about $200B today - and 3% of the GDP of the countries aided).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan
Basically, your view is quite biased and uncharitable as compared to reality.
The US didn't withdraw food support - it was just reorganized and curtailed somewhat. In terms of the Labour government's culpability, there were a variety of worker's strikes - including dock workers - that resulted in tons of meat and fish going bad. The Labour government eventually ordered the Army to break the strike.
https://pasttense.co.uk/2017/01/08/today-in-londons-transport-history-100s-of-drivers-in-road-haulage-strike-1947/
No - the loans were issued then. The lend-lease was basically entirely forgiven. The loans always had a 5 year grace period.
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/business/worldbusiness/28iht-nazi.4042453.html
The UK was bankrupt. You got loans from the US, Canada and others that you wish were gifts to stay afloat. At absurdly good rates - and additional aid in rebuilding from the Marshall plan.
A half percent of GDP growth. It was 3% of the GDP of the countries. Did nothing is highly debatable.
Probably not the reason you had to ration in 1953 still, and I'm not sure what betrayal you're referring to.
This was netted out from the lend-lease that was forgiven. You also got to keep all the equipment for rebuilding.
Do you have examples of this?
Do you have examples of this?
You make it sound like the UK was bankrupt because of their own mismanagement. They were basically repelling an invasion for years while being the USA's stepping stone into the European theatre.
Acting like it's noble to build up the country of the destroyed enemy, but not assist the ravaged ally in the same way is really odd.
We did assist that ravaged ally after, with an emergency loan with a very low interest rate, and the UK was the largest beneficiary of the Marshall plan dollars.
France was #2.
I don’t know where this revisionist animosity is coming from, but it’s not reflected in reality.
A couple points to help clarify why these actions were taken:
The British (and French) owed the US for WW1 and the Nazis were financial trolls who didn't pay back Anglo or French debts because they wanted to fuck over the lenders (who they felt were Jewish).
The US had lent out over a $1T to the Allied powers for WW1 and that's why FDR supported England while the US was neutral - losing that much money would ruin any country in 1940.
The cause of the rise of fascism in Germany after WW1 was determined to be the austerity enforced on the Germans in order to pay back the reparations. Investing in Germany was mandatory to eliminate the rise of another populist dictator.
This was the second war Britain got into that it could defend itself abroad without the US (Singapore was an embarrassment for Britain and the Burma campaign is underreported but showed the English were still fighting in their colonial style of using poorly trained irregulars that repeatedly cost them supply and initiative). It became clear to the US that the British could not afford another war and we're in no position to rebel against any judgement imposed on them.
Britain was also losing her own colonial nations that had nothing to do with America. India was never going to remain a British occupied region. Huge swaths of Africa were decidedly outside her grasp. Most of the middle east was also anxious for their own independence so Britain never stood a chance of being their Victorian size for long.
Oh buddy, that ship had long since sailed.
One egg, but a pound of sugar.
tea
Id be trading bacon for eggs
Trading ration cards was actually very common! I imagine the only Brit who didn't like tea or sugar was living like the king.
that would be tough even for me. im not a big tea fan but I don't think there were many other sources of caffeine or just water flavorings.
Depends at what point during rationing, but it wouldn't be too hard to get coffee at all. And even then you had the lucrative black market. You would obviously be worse off than your peers who liked tea though.
Oeuf
Damn, normally they only get one a month