Department of History

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Browsing Department of History by Author "Albertyn, Yolandi"

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    Upsetting the applecart : government and food control in the Union of South Africa during World War II c. 1939-1948
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Albertyn, Yolandi; Nasson, William Richard; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis attempts to evaluate the influence of the Second World War on the South African food position in the years 1939 to 1948 by studying a selection of specific foodstuffs and their availability on domestic markets during the war. The food control measures which were implemented were in a unique South African wartime context where both surpluses and shortages had developed, and the effectiveness of the implementation of these controls is evaluated. In regard to the surpluses of certain foodstuffs, the effect of relevant controls on new industrial development is discussed. The impact of public opinion on the Government’s agricultural policy during the war is also assessed, and account is taken of how this impacted on the decision not to implement a formal system of rationing, despite the severe shortages of specific foodstuffs. Leading on from this, it is important to the argument to acknowledge the racially segregationist policies of South Africa, and thus a part of this story will discuss the various reasons why a conventional rationing system would not have worked in the wartime context of the Union. This research seeks to open up a new vantage point from which to view the political position of South Africa after 1939 as its legislature and war policies reflected the country’s prevailing complexities in subtle ways. It was politics which largely determined the extent of food control and the agricultural policy which was followed. In exploring this, press coverage of the food control measures is utilised, as well as the use of austerity campaigns in mass publicity. These sources present a distinctive view of public opinion in political life and thus provide an atmospheric understanding of the national mood at a major point in history. Furthermore, the coverage of food campaigns illuminates ways in which food control and the acceptance of those measures were promoted in order to encourage compliance and participation by consumers. Of equal relevance was the position of agriculture as support for the Union war effort and the imposition of food controls as a catalyst for resistance by consumers. Discussion of these themes provide further understanding of the underlying tensions which were given impetus by the stresses of war and restrictions on commodities on the home front.