Fehér György szerk.: A Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum Közleményei 1992-1994 (Budapest, 1994)

11. Nemzetközi Gazdaságtörténeti Kongresszus, 1994., Milánó (llth International Economic History Congress) - FEHÉR GYÖRGY: Agricultural associations in Hungary in the late 19th century

possessed potential financial basis, professional background — independent scientific review and had influence to the state decision making organs, their professional remarks were taken into consideration in the field of agrarian education and research as well. Returning to examining the role of OMGE we think important to pay attention to presenting the economic stiluation of the country, because only knowing this can we say opinion of the ambitions of the Society and can qualify the direction of economic policy followed by him. From the 1880 years the USA and Russia flooded with cheap corn in large quantity the European market and so created insuperable competition with the continent, among them with Hungarian producers. This caused the agrarian crisis lasting several years in Hungary as well, which caused decline in prices and prolonged sales troubles for the producers — mostly relating to wheat. The maintenance of competitiveness of the agriculture became reality only with its modernization, which could be realized only with the assistance of active state intervention. The liberal economic policy practice followed till that lime — as it could be observed in other European countries — was followed by the stronger form of state intervention Hungary as well. Therefore the OMGE required the introducing of favourable tariff policy at railway rates for the agriculture and the promotion of technical modernization of the branch. Owing to the efforts we can observe the moving of Hungarian agriculture towards intensive farming: soil improvements, the renewal of cattle stock, establishing of agricultural model farms, arranging of the national animal health service, organisation of the agricultural experimental stations. These steps made into the direction of development were initialed by the Society and it supported all thoughts, which enhanced the level of agricultural production and increased the competitiveness. The OMGE forcefully entered upon a campaign for the support of national agriculture by customs, and later it demanded again and again to introduce such customs tariff rates, which finally created a monopolistic position for the national producers, depriving this way the agriculture from the competitive situation stimulating the development. The Society played a leading role in forming the situation this way and acted according tho the demands of group represented by him, what did not serve in this case the long range demand of the development of whole agriculture. In the 19th century the convocation of the III. National Farmers' Congress of 1895 and the decisions accepted here was an outstanding event organized to represent the agrarian interests. Here was decided to establish the professional organisations for safeguarding of interests in a form differing from the former one. Namely the National Federation of Agricultural Associations organized in 1879 did not fulfil hopes, it congregated only insignificant percent of land proprietors. The solution could only be searched into the direction of expanding the social basis. After such precedents came into existence the Hungarian Farmers' Association, whose mentality was determined by the decisive role of OMGE in its management, in spite of the opening. Its first president was given by the Association, in the person of count Sándor Károlyi. Founders of the new organisation saw the hour has come to demonstrate also nume-