Food crisis in Vienna in recent years World War I 1916–1918

The food crisis in Vienna in 1916–1918, the capital of Austria-Hungary in the last years of the First World War, is considered. It was at the final stage of the First World War that one of the most acute problems that arose in every belligerent country – food. It became impossible to ignore the deficit, which both the imperial and the city authorities tried to do in the first two years of the Great War. The scarcity of the most essential food was highlighted by such veils as endless queues in city markets, the growth of crime and child theft. By 1917, the food crisis in Vienna entered an acute phase. The main reasons for the crisis were: disruption of transport links, narrowing of cultivated areas due to the lack of male workers, procurement of food for the front, unfavorable market conditions for suppliers of agricultural products. The processes caused by martial law have led to an exorbitant rise in the cost of living, shortages, speculation on the black market. The government, in turn, did not have a specific plan to deal with an acute shortage of material resources, shortages, rising prices, but at the same time significantly limited the rights and powers of citizens. In these conditions, there was a weakening of the physical strength and morale of the urban population, which led to massive strikes and demonstrations.