A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 7. (Szeged, 2004)

MEDGYESI Konstantin: A makói Pfeiffer-affér. Közéleti botránysorozat a koalíciós évek Makóján

KONSTANTIN MEDGYESI THE PFEIFFER-AFFAIR AT MAKÓ SERIES OF PUBLIC SCANDALS IN MAKÓ IN THE COALITION PERIOD On 21

st July 1946 a crowd of many dozens of rather stentorian Communists did not let Zoltán Pfeiffer, under-secretary of justice and prominent politician of the Smallholders Party, to speak on a general assembly. The under-secretary of state thus was not able to deliver his speech. The case was not unique in Hungary during the coalition period, since from 1946 the Hungarian Communist Party and the Leftist Block had used the disturbing of programs of rival political groups as a weapon of proved value. The affair is worth studying in historical respect for two reasons. On the one hand this was the first Pfeiffer assembly where a scandal was made. (Later on this had become usual and matters were at such a point that on 25

th August 1947 during an election meeting in Csongrád the enraged Communist activists attacked Pfeiffer with bicycle chains, causing almost fatal wounds to him.) On the other hand after their gathering had been disturbed, the Smallholders Party decided not to take part in the work of the board of representatives in Makó. In other words the smallholders of Makó denounced the coalition with the Left. This may be considered as unique regarding the whole country, however, similar fights were fought also in other regions.