Famine and Death in Occupied Greece, 1941–1944
Published in 2006, this is a pioneering study of the impact of the famine that occurred in Greece during its occupation by German, Italian and Bulgarian forces in 1941 and 1942. Violetta Hionidou examines the courses and politics of this food crisis, focussing on the demography of the famine and the effectiveness of the relief operations. Her interdisciplinary approach combines demographic, historical and anthropological methodologies to offer a comprehensive account of the famine. This book is the first to explore the International Red Cross Committee archives which offer new insights into the politics and practice of the relief operations. Dr Hionidou argues that food was used as a propaganda instrument by almost all of those involved including the British and Greek governments as well as the occupying forces. This important study makes a major contribution to current debates about mortality and its causes during famines.
- A benchmark study on one of the last major famines in European history
- Essential reading for demographers, scholars of famine and historians of German occupation
- Draws upon extensive archival material, especially oral testimonies
Reviews & endorsements
"Violetta Hionidou, lecturer in modern history at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, has written a superb book. Famine and Death in Occupied Greece, 1941-1944 is a comprehensive, multidimensional account and examination of the most difficult years in Greece's nearly two-century history."
- History
"...there is an embarrassment of riches here: methodologically the book includes both excellent political and demographic archival work as well as field research… Hionidou’s book is a substantive contribution to the history of World War II and to understanding famine, the experience of food scarcity, and historical memory."
- Journal of Military History
"Famine and Death epitomizes what scholarship should be."
Diana Gilliland Wright, Canadian Journal of History
Product details
July 2006Hardback
9780521829328
282 pages
229 × 152 × 17 mm
0.55kg
Available
Table of Contents
- List of illustrations
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Prologue
- 1. Contexts
- 2. The chronology and geography of the food crisis, 1941–4
- 3. Central government and administration
- 4. Requisitioning of foodstuffs
- 5. Agricultural production
- 6. Economy and markets in occupied Greece
- 7. Welfare and relief
- 8. Population movement during the occupation
- 9. Short-term effects on mortality and fertility
- 10. Causes of famine mortality
- 11. Death and survival by occupation
- Epilogue.