A fascinating study of the role that food—and the lack of it—played in the First World War, for both troops and civilians. In the First World War, the supply of food to civilians became as significant a factor in final victory as success or defeat on the battlefields. Never before had the populations of entire countries lived under siege conditions, yet this extraordinary situation is often overlooked as a decisive factor in the outcome of the conflict. Matthew Richardson, in this highly readable and original comparative study, looks at the food supply situation on the British, German, French, Russian, and Italian home fronts, as well as on the battlefields. His broad perspective contrasts with some narrower approaches to the subject, and brings a fresh insight into the course of the war on all the major fronts. He explores the causes of food shortages, as well as the ways in which both combatant and neutral nations attempted to overcome them. He also looks at widely differing attitudes towards alcohol during the war, the social impacts of food shortages, and the ways in which armies attempted to feed their troops in the field. Includes photos

マシュー・リチャードソンが描くのは、銃声の背後で静かに進行した「胃袋の戦争」です。本作の真髄は、食糧を単なる補給品ではなく、国家の命運を左右する究極の兵器として捉え直した点にあります。前線と銃後の境界を消し去り、列強諸国が直面した極限の包囲状態を比較分析するその筆致は、歴史の裏側に隠された凄惨な生存競争を鮮烈に浮き彫りにしています。 食糧不足が社会構造や人々の精神に与えた影響への洞察は極めて鋭く、勝利の条件が弾薬ではなく一皿のパンに委ねられていたという事実は、読者の歴史観を根底から揺さぶります。アルコールへの態度の違いなど、ミクロな日常から大戦の帰趨を読み解く叙述は、血の通った人間たちのドラマとして、第一次世界大戦の新たな真実を我々に突きつけてくるのです。