ABSTRACT
This chapter examines food supply challenges in Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia from 1918 to 1921, focusing on the Bohemian Lands and Slovenia within their broader national contexts. Despite the independence euphoria, wartime rationing—and its flaws—persisted, shaping public expectations and political legitimacy. The chapter analyzes how new governments managed supply chains, confronted shortages, and addressed public unrest, including food riots. It explores governance innovations such as anti-profiteering measures and taxation, as well as violence and fraud surrounding food distribution. By linking material scarcity to concepts such as legitimacy and stability, it traces the mentalities and behaviors shaped by ongoing shortages and reconstructs debates over the causes and consequences of the enduring postwar food crisis.
