Levéltári Közlemények, 87. (2016)
1946 - a forint bevezetése - Kiss András: Ipari munkásság a hiperinflációban (Forrásközlés)
Az 1946-os esztendő, különös tekintettel a forint bevezetésére András Kiss Industrial workers at the time of the hyperinflation (Publication of archival documents) By the end of the Second World War, Hungary became a financially and economically looted country. There were „classical” reasons behind the biggest hyperinflation in Hungary, such as the shortage of goods, the significant reduction of fiscal revenues and the output of shinplaster which released the ghost of an inflation which was never seen before. By the middle of 1945, the industrial workers could not scarcely enjoy their benefits. Therefore, the most sensitive issue became the default of the workers’ salaries. In general terms, the workers could only get their most important common goods by exchange and barter, or at the „black market” in Budapest, but especially in the countryside. This selection of archival sources focusing on the managament’s and worker’s attitude and describes the everyday life of industrial plants during the period of hyperinflation. The author claims that the plant committees were in key position between workers and the old, or renewed leadership of the plants, and they firstly faced with the fail of workers’ standard of living. These local organisations usually put the requests of the workers before the factory management and tried to exchange their products for food, sometimes in a special way. Because of the rapid depreciation of Pengő, in most cases, the workers did not accept the ransoming of their calory bonus but they claimed as a fringe benefit. The article shows this short period from the point of view of the workers and the plant committees. The sources can give a real illustration on the living condition of industrial workers. These archival documents have not been published so far. 156
