The State-Ordered War Effort and Survival Strategies of the Rural Population during World War I: The Case of the Divjak Sisters

Abstract

The article depicts and analyses circumstances surrounding the prosecution of the Divjak sisters conducted by the Austrian authorities in 1916. From the outbreak of the confl icts onwards the war regime strove to rationalize food resources for strategic reasons. By means of a series of measures the authorities attempted to take control of the production and circulation of food. Repressive and propaganda resources were aimed at the rural population as well, which was during wartime the most important producer of food. However, many Austrian farmers were reluctant to contribute their share to the Austrian monarchy’s war effort.