Vágvölgyi András – Gábor Kálmán: A kisvárosi fejlődés sajátos útja. Adalékok Makó demográfiai helyzetéhez. A Makói Múzeum Füzetei 12. (Makó, 1974)

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András Vágvölgyi—Kálmán Gábor A SPECIFIC WAY OF THE SMALL TOWN DEVELOPMENT — Contributions to the demographic situation of Makó — Summary Makó is a market-town situated near the Hungarian border with Roumania and Yugoslavia. A market-town is a characteristic type of town, „a farmstead town brought about by the granges on ploughed fields... it was the farmstead that compounded the abodes, the garden places and the condensed big villages into a uniform town organization... In accordance with this, different kinds of market-towns can be distinguished" — writes Ferenc Erdei. It is the Hungarian Plain where the market-town form of settlement is characteristic. This form revived after the 150 years Turkish occupation; Makó, as well, was swelled by the population fled into the town before the Turks. Onion growing had a prominent role in the development of the town. In Hungary, it was Makó that formed the centre of this culture. Onion production played a prominent role in the development of the market-town society and had an influence on migration processes. It is evincible that, above this, onion production had a significant effect on the development of the towns demographic situation, too. At the end of the last century, the town, being the centre of onion production, became the centre of onion trade as well and from this time onwards the town showed signs of dynamic development. The population doubled in 80 years and at the beginning of World War II reached already a level of 35 000. In consequence of the monoculture evolved, it is evincible that the developm ent of the town followed a different way than other market-towns of the Hungarian Plain. The market production of onion made the town opened and a higher standard of life was evolved than that of the average peasant affluence; Makó had been characterized by higher claim to civilization that other Hungarian towns of similar size. Compared to the towns becoming industrialized and to the traditional market-towns, Makó represented a third type showing significant differences in the social structure evolved. Migration had an influence to the growth of population only until the eighties of the last century; till then a town of strictly peasant character and of homogenous contsruction had developed. As against other towns, migration played hardly a role in the later population increase. The differenced with other market-towns found expression in that important fact that in Makó a strong tie had developed to the home and international trade through onion. After World War I the town had lost a part of her markets, and this resulted in a relapse of production. In consequence of being fixed new boundary lines, the town became a frontier town, her growth has been retarded. Fearing of dividine of arable fields, family planning came in an increased degree into force than in other market-towns of the Hungarian Plain. During World War II the relapse of the town was increased by the manpower deficit. Up to the present day, the ageing of population is the main characteristic of the town. The countrywide industrial development following the liberation favoured neither Makó, nor the other small towns; the lag of the Plain towns behind the large industrial towns has increased. Today agrarian population has a determinant role in the town's society as well; there has been an odd situation developed in which the occupation structure is less favourable than is some villages. As industrialization has failed to come about or has shown a low level, this has had an adverse effect to the population growth, the natural increase is, also at present, negative. The young age groups of the town's population have much less men than those of the national average, a high ratio of unmarried women is shown and there is a very low rate of births. The rhythm of agrarian-industrial restratification is slow. The strata being the most suitable to modify the present unfavourable demographic situation, as the authors point out, obtain dwellings with greatest difficulty. The general ageing of the town is accompanied in Makó by a deficient communal development which, together with the present occupation structure, conserves steadily the relations evolved, giving a typical example of the stagnation of a former market-town. 26