Tanulmányok Budapest múltjából 33. 2006- 2007 (2007)

Tanulmányok - Klement Judit: Nagypolgár famíliák a 19. századi Pest-Budán és Budapesten

UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES IN THE IC™ CENTURY IN PEST-BUDA Klement, Judit UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES IN THE 19™ CENTURY IN PEST-BUDA AND IN BUDAPEST The notion: upper-middle class, is an often used, standard category within the Hungarian historical science, although it is hard to define a notion, which has been outlined only by a few. The roots of the problem lie in the understanding of the process of getting to the middle class status, then comes the diversity in the use of the terms middle class and upper-middle class. There are some among the historians who would enroll the upper middle class by position, wealth or income, some would use it for the business executives and entrepreneur intellectuals, for others it's about income, others say wealth, income and education all together. More so there is reference to the middle upper class life style, which can simply overwrite the theoretical categories. This study agrees that the upper middle class should be understood as emerging from the upper class. The cultural homogeneity, particular social characteristics should decide. Representing the theory this study observes the endow of four daughters of a wealthy family in Pest. According to the inheritance department Fuchs, Rudolf, wholesaler, self-employed ( 18091892), was indeed a wealthy man. He was a member, in function in several directorates, and was paying a quite high tax. He had endowed his four daughters between 1861 and 1877. to a pediatrician, a private official, a trader and an ophthalmologist. We can't be sure what emotional connection there was between the couples, or how much the father's or anyone else's voice counted. Still after studying the familiar background, the social origin of the son-in-laws, it is clear that they married into a family, in many ways similar to their own. All of them were Evangelic, their elders were either from Northern-Hungary, Saxon from Szepes, they were all committed to the fight for freedom, it even had some marks in the families' history. And all families valued knowledge and erudition, just like the Fusch family. The financial situation of the lads was probably not important, more so the common cultural base, which these marriages were built on and within these cultural bases we find values of the middle class.