The Black Food Market in the General Government, Poland, 1939–1945

This article examines black-market food activities in the German-occupied territory of the General Government during World War II. Unlike in other areas of occupied Poland (e.g. in areas incorporated into the Reich), in the General Government, and especially in Warsaw, the black market became a specialist discipline, often practiced professionally. The article argues that this professionalized black market thrived in large part due to the corruption of German authorities and their powerlessness to enforce the harsh system of rules and prohibitions around illegal food trade. An analysis of Polish and German archival materials, ego-documents, as well as both the official and underground press shows that this corruption and inability to control characterized the entire supply chain of black-market food, from production in the countryside, transfer to cities, and distribution and consumption in cities.