Original scientific paper
The nourishment of the population of Velika župa Dubrava in 1944
Franko Mirošević
orcid.org/0000-0001-9474-5852
; Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The topic Nourishment in Velika župa Dubrava is methodologically divided into three units. The first chapter is entitled Nourishment in Velika župa Dubrava from January 1944 to the end of May of the same year. It analyses the role of state and local authorities entrusted with the organisation and realisation of nourishment (reports on the matter; problems regarding the nourishment of the population of the islands of Korčula and Mljet, and the peninsular of Pelješac; problems regarding the nourishment of the population of Dubrovnik and its surroundings). The second chapter describes economic circumstances in individual districts; it shows failure to ensure the nourishment of the population by production in respective districts of this area. The third chapter describes nourishment-related issues relating to the period between June 1944 and the fall of Velika župa Dubrava around mid October 1944 (lack of sources reporting on the nourishment in the districts of Velika župa Dubrava; problems regarding the nourishment of the population of the islands of Korčula and Mljet, and the peninsular of Pelješac; problems regarding the nourishment of the population of Velika župa Dubrava before its liquidation).
The introduction informs about the provisioning of the population of Velika župa Dubrava between the end of July 1943 and 31st January 1944. It further includes a brief survey of the military actions that took place in Velika župa Dubrava in 1944, thus causing many problems concerning nourishment, food delivery and traffic.
The problem area tackled in this paper has so far not been properly addressed in the historical literature. The nourishment problem in 1944 was mentioned by Tonko Barčot in his paper Vlast Nezavisne Države Hrvatske na otoku Korčuli (The Government of the Independent State of Croatia on the island of Korčula) and by Mira Kolar Dimitrijević in the Osvrt na društveno-ekonomsku strukturu Dubrovnika pred Drugi svjetski rat i položaj radničkog stanovništva za vrijeme Drugoga svjetskog rata (Survey of the social and economic structure in Dubrovnik before WWII and the position of working population during WWII).
The paper Nourishment in Velika župa Dubrava is based exclusively on the information from the fund of Velika župa Dubrava, kept at the State Archives in Zagreb. The same applies to the previous two papers published in this journal. The main sources for the content of this paper were reports and correspondence of Velika župa Dubrava with the Ministry of the Interior; the Ministry for Liberated Areas; the Ministry of Rural Economy; the Split City Council; and the Ministry of Social Care.
The documents issued by the aforementioned state bodies undoubtedly prove that the situation regarding nourishment in Velika župa Dubrava had not at all improved, but had deteriorated in comparison with the years 1942 and 1943. There were periods when food had not been delivered for several months; there were no food supplies in storages; hence the population had to purchase expensive food in free market. The situation deteriorated in 1944, because Velika župa Dubrava was obliged to provide supplies for the population of the islands of Mljet and Korčula, and even for Croats in Boka kotorska; it had no such obligation before. Population nourishment in the second half of 1943 and at the beginning of 1944 improved thanks to wheat and other products confiscated from the Italian ship Sangigi, and ceded by German command to Velika župa Dubrava to help provide food supplies to Dubrovnik and its surroundings.
However, the same German command in Velika župa Dubrava, due to its military regulations, obstructed the use of domestic products for providing nourishment to the population, in particular in times when food transport from the wheatlands to Velika župa Dubrava was made not possible due to traffic halt (prohibition of traffic; prohibition of night fishing (oily fish); obstruction of the exchange of products between the littoral area and the islands on the one part and the hinterland on the other; deportation of male population from the islands and the littoral area).
As the Partisan movement grew significantly stronger in the summer and autumn of 1944 in Velika župa Dubrava, it disabled competent local bodies in acquiring food that would have at least partly diminished the food shortage problem (suspension of food transport from the wheatlands; no more food supplies in storages; no more bread for the people). In this respect, the population received help from the newly established Partisan authority that was gradually formed on the legal basis, and which overtook the task of providing nourishment for the people. The population protested because of food shortage; it was further dissatisfied due to high prices of all products, and the shortage not only of food, but also of clothing and footwear. The food disappeared from the shelves; the prices grew beyond every reason; chain trade increased. The goods in storages became falsely marked. The goods disappeared from the market, yet the prices increased; this further caused an increase in the inflation of the domestic currency. Due to the difficulties regarding traffic, cattle were not transported (in particular not to Dubrovnik, its district and the surrounding islands). This situation jeopardised the reputation of the state, which fact the Partisan authorities used widely for spreading their propaganda among the people. By the take-over of Dubrovnik, Velika župa Dubrava ceased to function. In the boxes containing the fund of Velika župa Dubrava, there exist no more documents of 18 October 1944, when units of the Yugoslav Liberation Army took over Dubrovnik and liberated it from the Ustasha rule.
Keywords
Velika župa Dubrava; Chetniks; Partisans; population nourishment; food shortage; traffic halt; black market
Hrčak ID:
148947
URI
Publication date:
2.12.2015.
Visits: 1.919 *