Nutritional inequality in Vienna in the aftermath of the first world war

• Department of History

The Diplomatic/International History Working Group hosts its next meeting featuring a discussion by Dr Mary Cox (Central European University).

Dr Mary Cox will be talking about her new research into civilian hunger and humanitarian aid in the aftermath of World War One. As Dr Cox outlines, many people in Vienna were hungry during WWI. They hoped that a cessation of hostilities would quickly bring needed relief, however hunger continued. In the summer of 1919, a city-wide study of the health of children suggested that some 90% of all school-aged children in Vienna were suffering nutritional deprivation. This study, performed at the district level, showed that deprivation was not equal across the city, with children living in some districts experiencing extraordinary deprivation. Using these statistics, the American Relief Administration—pairing with local medical professionals and government officials—sought to reduce child hunger by providing additional meals, prioritizing those in greatest need first. Dr Cox’s paper explores the effectiveness of foreign aid groups at feeding Vienna’s children and the extent to which their efforts impacted nutritional inequality across the city. 

Speaker Bio:

Mary Cox is Assistant Professor in International Relations at the Central European University. She received her doctorate degree from the University of Oxford and an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her first book Hunger in War & Peace: Women & Children in Germany, 1914-1924 (Oxford University Press, 2019) examined the impact of war and relief interventions on non-combatants.