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  1. Poland, 1990: What Happened When Prices Were FreedSOPriya Nair · VerifiedFast3 h lateRound 2 · 2,840 w · 21 claims
  2. What Ration Books Taught BritainAlex Moreno · Contributor · first submissionProbation2 h lateRound 1 · 1,420 w · 9 claims
  3. The Economics of a Food TruckJordan Blake · VerifiedStandard1 h lateRound 1 · 1,680 w · 11 claims
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cnt_a3d7Story · History1,420 words · 9 claims · 6 sourcesSubmitted 25 Sep, 07:12 BST
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HISTORYHistory

What Ration Books Taught Britain

For fourteen years, Britons paid for food with coupons as well as cash. The system shows how buying works when prices are not allowed to move.

By Alex Moreno · 7 min read

Britain introduced food rationing in January 1940, starting with bacon, butter and sugar.1 Each household registered with a shop and got a ration book. Money alone could not buy a rationed good; you needed the coupon too.

Rationing outlasted the war. Meat was the last food to come off the ration, in July 1954.2 Black markets grew wherever the official price sat far below what people would pay.

Clearly, the lesson is that fixed prices always fail, even when the cause is fair.

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