Abstract
The United States, which committed itself to alleviating the severe post-World War II global famine, failed to meet its relief commitments. Relief efforts failed largely because voluntary attempts at reducing consumption proved too difficult, and the U. S. government refused to return to mandatory rationing of food despite evidence indicating the majority of Americans, especially American women, would have welcomed such a move. Contributing to officials' opposition to mandatory post-war rationing were the revived ideology of government non-interference; a strong government/agriculture alliance; the focus on private, as opposed to public, interests and obligations; and increasing Cold War tensions precluding any worldwide efforts at famine relief. It seemed only the fear of Communist takeover could provoke Congress in partnership with business interests into sufficiently alleviating famine conditions, but only for those countries willing to abide by U. S. terms.
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Additional information
Amy Bentley teaches American studies and women's studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The author of several articles, Dr. Bentley is completing a manuscript entitledEating for Victory: United States Food Rationing and the Politics of Domesticity during World War II. She expresses her gratitude to Brett Gary, Jan Poppendieck, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful suggestions, and also to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library for a generous research grant.
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Bentley, A.L. Uneasy sacrifice: The politics of United States famine relief, 1945–48. Agric Hum Values 11, 4–18 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530411
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01530411