Tanulmányok Budapest Múltjából 14. (1961)

Berend T. Iván - Ránki György: A Budapest környéki ipari övezet kialakulásának és fejlődésének kérdéséhez = Contribution to the problem of the formation and development of the industrial zone around Budapest 535-573

T. I. Berend—Gy. Ránki CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL ZONE AROUND BUDAPEST The evolution of big cities goes necessarily parallel with the creation of a wide suburban area. In the case of Budapest also, this trend has been promoted by considerations of political economy as well as by geographic reasons. The formation of the settlements around Budapest coincides with the acceleration of capitalistic development in Hungary and may be considered as having taken place in the last decennia of the nineteenth century, the only exception being Újpest where the development set in earlier. It is to be noted, however, that these satellite towns had the character of residential quarters only, their industry was insignificant and they had no great importance in providing manpower for the industry of the capital. An industrialization on greater scale of the satellite towns around Budapest started simultaneously with the capitalistic upswing of the twentieth century. It was in this period that the satellite towns and the city itself became economically interconnected. The lower prices of groundplot and of rents, improvement of communications and the creation of public utility works meant an attractive power for the masses streaming up from the country, but inspired at the same time industrialists to locate their new business undertakings in this suburban zone. Up to World War I, the population of the settlements around Budapest increased to about 200 000, their greater part being occupied in industry (57%). In view of the fact that all the time new undertakings had been created in the suburban zone, more than half of its population found work on the spot. It was mostly big industry that expanded around Budapest, the undertakings most important from the point of view of the industry of the whole nation being — in Újpest — leather and wood industry as well as the United Incandescent Lamp Factory and — in another region (Csepel) — the works Manfred Weiss. The years between the two World Wars represent the period of the quick development of the industrial suburban zone around Budapest as well as that of the formation of Great-Budapest. Within the new frontiers industry was concentrated to Budapest to a greater extent than hitherto. In the 1920s, the rate of development of industry was considerably slower than before the war. Before the economic crisis of 1929—1933, the industry of Budapest was smaller than previously, but that of the suburban zone was greater. The increase of population was already greater there than in the capital. The number of the workers employed in the suburban factories was as high as one third of the total industrial manpower of Budapest The greater part of the industrial development realized in the suburban zone fell on light industry, in the first place textile industry. It is light industry that characterizes markedly the industrial zone south-east of Budapest (Kispest). In the years after the economic crisis the population of the satellite towns continued to increase. It is to be noted that no new factories have been created any more, on the other hand the manpower of the old industrial plants increased twofold. In 1940, the 400 000 inhabitants of the suburbs and their 70 000 workmen represented already more than one third of the population of Budapest, respectively nearly one half of the industrial manpower of the city. At the beginning of World War II, the industrial suburban zone of BudaS

:st became completely amalgamated and connected with the manufacturing dustry of Budapest. The development of the satellite towns and villages put an end at that time to their isolation and they became completely integrated with the capital. Accordingly, Great-Budapest came effectively into being, although — owing to political and social reaons — it was only after the liberation that this unification obtained administrative sanction. è73