Introduction of the card system in besieged Leningrad in the summer of 1941

During the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, the introduction of the card system in the Soviet Union was carried out with a great delay. This happened almost a month after the start of the war. The materials identified in the Russian State Archive of Economics and the Central State Archives of St. Petersburg allow us to follow the progress of an important process associated with the decision to introduce a card system and divide the population into groups. The project, and then a government decree, entrusted all work on the production and issuance of cards to the Council of People's Commissars of the union and autonomous republics. The maintenance of city and district card bureaus was carried out at the expense of the population, who had to pay for their activities by depositing money for food cards received in hand. Not realizing the full depth of the coming food crisis, the leaders of Leningrad, simultaneously with the introduction of the card system, allowed the functioning of trade at increased prices. Some categories of the population with high incomes took advantage of this opportunity and actively used commercial stores at the beginning of the war. However, already in September 1941 it was necessary to abandon the sale of goods and products to the population at increased prices. Problems associated with the rationed distribution of products were accompanied by the production and distribution of counterfeit food cards, the issuance of preferential coupons and cards to various categories of workers in Leningrad - initially to workers in "hot" production, and then also to blood donors and pregnant women. The system of food privileges that existed in the besieged city had its own laws. The cards that appeared in July 1941 did not indicate any of the four population groups established by the instructions (workers, employees, dependents and children). In August, bread cards for dependents and children appeared with indications of the corresponding categories (I, D.), and since September the cards had all the designations of categories of the population (P - worker, S - employee, I - dependent, D - children). The resolution of the Leningrad City Executive Committee, adopted on July 26, 1941, provided for the issuance of food cards for the month of August. At the same time, it spoke of transferring an entire group of Leningraders to a boiler allowance (without issuing cards). This category included pupils of orphanages, students of factory training schools, vocational and railway schools of the Main Directorate of Labor Reserves. The system of rationed distribution of products, which existed in a number of cities in the country since July 1941, including Leningrad, developed and became more complex. It played a role in conditions of acute food shortages during the war and was canceled in December 1947.