Features of the Functioning of the Rationing System of Blockaded Leningrad (1941—1944)

The article is devoted to the rationed supply of food to the population of Leningrad. The decision to introduce a rationing system in the city was made only in July 1941, almost a month after the start of the war, which should be considered a serious mistake by the country's leaders. Relying on a wide range of sources, including archival materials, the author characterizes the features of the functioning of the distribution system in the besieged city. It is shown that until December 1941, the population could redeem their ration cards in any store in the city. Later, the practice of assigning Leningraders to specific stores was introduced. Along with “store” cards, cards for canteens were used during the years of the blockade, where their owners could receive their meager food. The article shows the measures taken by the city leaders to properly organize public catering — the creation of “high-quality” canteens, and then canteens where the so-called “rationed nutrition” was practiced. In the blockaded city, there was an extensive system of ration cards, including cards for blood donors and pregnant women. Since the summer of 1943, special additional rations have also been issued to the heads of industrial enterprises, the command staff of the army and navy, party and Soviet workers, and figures in science, art, and literature

Economic growth · Economics · Rationing · Nuclear Issues and Defense · Psychology