Perhaps the most convincing single example cited by proponents of the view that money is a commodity is the well-known use of
cigarettes
as “money” by Allied prisoners of war in Germany during World War II. Just six months after being liberated by the U.S. Army, former POW R.A.
Why do you think prisoners used cigarettes as money as opposed to other items of value such as squares of chocolate or pairs of boots?
cigarettes were passed hand to hand in exchange for goods and services, so they functioned as a medium of exchange. … The prisoners used cigarettes as money, as opposed to other items of value such as squares of chocolate or pairs of boots,
because cigarettes are: divisible, portable, and unique
.
What did the POWs use for money?
German prisoner of war (POW) currency, called
kriegsgfangenen lagergeld (war cash)
, valued at 10 Reichspfennig, distributed to prisoners held in German POW camps from 1939 to 1944. The currency was issued in seven denominations: 1, 10, and 50 Reichspfennig and 1, 2, 5, and 10 Reichsmark.
What was the worst POW camp ever?
| Utah prisoner of war massacre | Injured 19 | Perpetrator Clarence V. Bertucci |
|---|
What was the worst POW camp in ww2?
| Stalag IX-B | Type Prisoner-of-war camp | Site information | Controlled by Nazi Germany | Site history |
|---|
Why did the prisoners of war use cigarettes as money?
The Red Cross brought care packages in to the prisoner of war camps and gave prisoners little packages that contained chocolate, cheese, other goods, and cigarettes. … So cigarettes were
a kind of commodity money
, circulating, being saved, and being used as a unit of account.
What is money in a POW camp?
To cope with the wartime economic crises many countries came up with parallel currencies and emergency currencies. A similar parallel economy came into effect in the War Camps that held the Prisoners of War (PoW). This money
or tokens
that were issued in the PoW camps came to be known as the War Camp Money or Tokens.
What are the 3 purposes of money?
To summarize, money has taken many forms through the ages, but money consistently has three functions:
store of value, unit of account, and medium of exchange
. Modern economies use fiat money-money that is neither a commodity nor represented or “backed” by a commodity.
Is cigarette a commodity money?
A commodity money is a physical good that has
‘intrinsic value’
– a use outside of its use as money. Historic examples include alcohol, cocoa beans, copper, gold, silver, salt, sea shells, tea, and tobacco.
What are the measures of money supply in the economy?
- Reserve Money (M0): It is also known as High-Powered Money, monetary base, base money etc. …
- Narrow Money (M1): …
- M2 = M1 + Savings deposits of post office savings banks.
- Broad Money (M3) …
- M4 = M3 + All deposits with post office savings banks.
Did the Japanese eat POWs?
JAPANESE troops practised cannibalism on enemy soldiers and civilians in the last war
, sometimes cutting flesh from living captives, according to documents discovered by a Japanese academic in Australia. … He has also found some evidence of cannibalism in the Philippines.
How were the POWs treated by the Japanese?
The Japanese were very brutal to their prisoners of war. Prisoners of war endured
gruesome tortures with rats and ate grasshoppers for nourishment
. Some were used for medical experiments and target practice. … Allied prisoners liberated from Japanese POW camps looked like those liberated from Auschwitz.
How many POWs died in Japanese camps?
Approximately 3,500 POWs
died in Japan while they were imprisoned. In General, no direct access to the POWs was provided to the International Red Cross.
Why was life horrible for the POWs?
Forced to carry out slave labour on a starvation diet and in a hostile environment,
many died of malnutrition or disease
. … Most prisoners of war (POWs) existed on a very poor diet of rice and vegetables, which led to severe malnutrition.
What did prisoners of war eat?
The inventive POW cooks made meals of
fried spam on bread, toast with prune spread and hot chocolate
made from chocolate that arrived in the parcels for Sunday breakfast. Sunday lunch would be toast smeared with pate, goon soup and coffee.
Did anyone escape Japanese POW camps?
Some 359 POWs escaped
, while some others attempted or committed suicide, or were killed by their countrymen. Some of those who did escape also committed suicide to avoid recapture. All the survivors were recaptured within 10 days of their breakout.
