61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

economic, social, cultural and spiritual national defence. If social disruptions
similar to those during the previous war were to be avoided, such as the
Landesstreik of 1918, there had to be a better social security system for soldiers,
excessive price rises should be avoided, and the diminishing food supplies
should be distributed more justly. Too, there was the question of whether
Switzerland would be more successful this time in preserving its sovereignty in
the area of foreign trade and in preventing any direct intervention from the
warring powers into domestic matters.
At the start of the war there was great uncertainty as to whether Switzerland
would be able to meet its food requirements. Accordingly, the dominant
motivation in the government administration offices and among the population
was to prepare for the worst. 103 The Swiss were vulnerable inasmuch as they
could only produce about half of their required calorie intake and had to import
the other half. These imports diminished constantly throughout the war,
however. In 1941/42, 50% of the amount of 1939 could still be imported
whereas in 1944 the level was only 20%. If this calculation were to include only
the overseas imports, the amount for 1943 would be significantly lower as the
Allies had cut off the supply of food from the spring to the end of 1943. Supply
(production) and demand (requirement) diverged to varying extents for
different types of food. The aim of official agricultural policy was to reduce the
overproduction of livestock and promote arable farming. Whilst the agricultural
surplus could be exported to the neighbouring states, i.e., in actual fact
only to the Axis powers, most of the food imports required had to come from
the Allies’ sphere of influence.
An agricultural programme launched in November 1940 («Plan Wahlen» – the
«Wahlen Plan») does not appear to have been implemented to compensate for
overdue supplies from the Western powers; instead, it seems to have been a
defensive measure against the threat of being cut off by the Axis powers. This
cultivation scheme, also called «Anbauschlacht» aimed virtually to triple the area
of agriculturally cultivable land. By 1943, the area had doubled from 182,500
hectares to 366,000 hectares. This increased the level of agricultural self-sufficiency
from 52% at the start of the war to 59%. However, the reduction in
average calorie consumption is not included in this calculation; if this reduction
of the total calorie requirement is taken into account, the self-sufficiency quota
rose to over 80%. The increased cultivation succeeded to a significant degree in
compensating for the loss of overseas imports. 104 Whilst the Swiss viewed the
«Anbauschlacht» as a strengthening of the spirit of resistance and survival, the
Germans welcomed it as a contribution to the safeguarding of the European
food supply.
A differentiated rationing system ensured the supply of the most important,
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