Izvleček
Tik pred izbruhom vojne je Belo krajino zajel val optimizma, dosegla jo je namreč železnica in zdelo se je, da je nastopil čas napredka. Kot se je izkazalo kasneje, pa je pridobitev samo še pospešila odlivanje tako materialnih kot človeških virov. Civilna oblast je v imenu države in vojske začela najprej izčrpavati prebivalstvo z obveznimi oddajami pridelka in živine ter z različnimi nabiralnimi akcijami za potrebe vojske. Prva posledica mobilizacije je bilo pomanjkanje delovne sile, ki so jo ljudje, tudi s pomočjo šolskih oblasti, reševali na račun šoloobvezne mladine. Za nameček sta sledili slabi letini, dodatno breme pa je bil prihod beguncev, najbolj množično iz zaledja soške fronte. Posledično je vedno bolj naraščalo tudi nezadovoljstvo, ki ga oblasti proti koncu vojne niso več mogle krotiti. Tudi konec vojne ni prinesel olajšanja. Številni so padli ali bili pogrešani. Za nameček je izčrpano prebivalstvo začela moriti še španska gripa.
Abstract
Life in the Countryside of Bela Krajina, With Special Emphasis on the Municipalities of Podzemelj and Gradac, During World War I
Just before the war broke out, Bela krajina was engulfed by a wave of optimism as the railway line finally reached it, and it seemed that a time of progress had arrived. As it later turned out, this acquisition only accelerated the outflow of material and human resources. As ordered by the state and military, the civil authority first began to drain the population with compulsory deliveries of produce and livestock, and with various solicitations of money for the needs of the army. The first consequence of mobilisation was a shortage of labour force, which the people tried to solve by engaging the school-age youth, with help from school authorities. To top it all, this was followed by a bad harvest and a new burden: the arrival of refugees, the greatest mass of them coming from the hinterland of the Soča (Isonzo) Front. Consequently, dissatisfaction began to increase, which the authorities could no longer keep in check towards the end of the war. The end of the war itself failed to bring relief. Many had fallen or were missing. Moreover, the exhausted population started dying from the Spanish flu.