Food: The Battle for Survival

Food became the home front's central obsession. German submarines targeted supply ships. Mobilization removed agricultural workers. The occupied territories contained prime farmland. By 1917, France faced genuine famine threat.

Government response evolved from laissez-faire to total control. Bread rationing began in 1917—300 grams daily per person in cities. Sugar, meat, butter, and milk followed. Ration cards became life's essential documents. Parisians joked grimly: "Our fathers stormed the Bastille for liberty. We storm bakeries for bread."

Black markets flourished despite penalties. Rural producers sold directly to wealthy urbanites, bypassing official channels. Restaurant owners obtained supplies through unofficial networks. Class resentment intensified as rich continued dining while poor queued for basics. Police reports noted: "Nothing damages morale more than seeing bourgeois emerging well-fed from restaurants while workers' wives return empty-handed from shops."

Victory gardens sprouted everywhere. Parisians cultivated the Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, even the Champs-Élysées. Every available plot produced vegetables. Schools taught cultivation techniques. Rabbit breeding became urban phenomenon—protein source requiring minimal space and feed. By 1918, Paris contained an estimated 400,000 rabbits.

Rural France fed the nation through heroic effort. Women, children, and elderly worked constantly. The 1917 harvest, gathered primarily by women, saved France from starvation. Yet farmers resented price controls that enriched middlemen while producers struggled. The traditional conservative peasantry developed unexpected radicalism, demanding fair prices and recognition.