Original scientific paper
Contribution of Podravina in Feeding Croatia in the First World War
Mira Kolar Dimitrijević
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb – Full Professor (retired)
Abstract
During WWI, Koprivnica and Podravina were among the most important producers of food in Croatia. Through immense pressure, the government exploited all the resources of Podravina, from live military force and the work of its hardworking people, right up to the position of Koprivnica outside of wartime events which enabled the placement of children in this region. Podravina gave even more than it should have, and assisted in feeding Zagreb, but also Rijeka where
flour from Podravina mills was sent, and in this time strengthened the link between Koprivnica and Rijeka. However the changes that engulfed Podravina during WWI were great. Many tradespeople
closed down while many traders became rich from speculations with food. It was very difficult to live in villages because work on the land and with livestock was left to the women, the elderly and children, and then the villages were also devastated by the Spanish flu, and by the end of 1918 the people were tired of war, hunger and disease. This work deals with the problem of nutrition and the great contribution of Podravina which in this period begins to be treated as
an economic entity. Of course, the problem was connected with may other aspects of war, but in everything we can conclude that Podravina gave a significant contribution to the survival of the
non-agrarian population in WWI, mostly to the detriment of the village populations which came out of the war, impoverished, without livestock and without many of its sons.
Keywords
WWI; food; refugees; Podravina; placement of children
Hrčak ID:
77642
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2011.
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