Rebekah Hodge (UCL) - 2023-24 Students
rebekah.hodge.23@ucl.ac.uk

Weaponisation of Food in War in France, 1919-1949

Manipulation of the food supply has long been an effective and covert tactic to control populations for political gain. This manipulation becomes overtly weaponised in war, controlling the food system and destroying food supplies of military and civilian populations alike. In World War II such weaponisation of food – the strategic and intentional use of food to control, manipulate, and eliminate populations – was on clear display as nations sought to gain power and influence. Throughout the course of the war at least 20 million people were killed by starvation. The circumstances surrounding their starvation were not mere byproducts of the war but part of a curated plan to eradicate individuals. My thesis will examine the means of weaponisation of food in World War II France and the foundation that was laid in World War I and the interwar period.

Primary Supervisor: Heather Jones

Secondary Supervisor: Iain Stewart