Bárkányi Ildikó szerk.: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Ethnographica 7. (Szeged, 2011)

Nagy Netta: Paraszti magatartásformák, túlélési módszerek a homokhátsági falvakban a beszolgáltatás éveiben, 1945-1956 között

Peasant Survival Strategies in the Years of the Forced Delivery System in the Sandy Soil Region of Hungary by NETTA NAGY The system of compulsory delivery of agricultural products to the state introduced in Hungary after World War II resulted in the collapse of numerous peasant economies in slightly more than a decade's time. After 1948 this system of forced delivery to the state became the most effective tool of the communist regime to eliminate traditional small-scale farming in Hungary. The quota of produce delivery, the method of its calculation, the scope of the delivered produce and livestock changed year after year. In the beginning the government aimed at eliminating wealthy peasantry; later they forced also middle peasants and small-holders to deliver their produce to the state. Government measures almost paralysed traditional peasant farming. Peasants had to face the challenge of surviving day after day. They were to risk their traditional lifestyle and farming. Present study by drawing on life histories and archival sources deals with peasants' reactions and attitudes to the system of forced delivery in the villages of the sandy soil region between the rivers Danube and Tisza, such as Forráskút, Üllés, Csólyospálos, Kiskunmajsa, Kistelek and Balástya. Peasants wanted to survive: they either resisted or adapted themselves to the situation. The oppressive power of the regime brought about special methods and ways of surviving among peasantry. Present study discusses particular methods of resistance, such as hiding the crop, illegal killing of farm animals, black marketing, etc. In spite of the fact that life histories often end in a humorous point, the stories tell about human tragedies. The paper also gives examples of silent resignation and that of overt confrontation. 180