Instead of a Conclusion

Although rationing was often regarded as a German invention of World War I, it has been used throughout much of human history. In ancient China, the emperor tried to regulate consumption during times of severe shortage by placing limits on the amount people could purchase over a given time period. Of the various systems developed throughout history to regulate consumption, the oldest one that most resembles that of the First Five-Year Plan existed in ancient Mesopotamia, over four thousand years ago. ¹