J. Pótó, M. Tolnai, P. Zilahy (eds.): Understanding the Hungarian Academy of Sciences : a guide

Sándor Kónya: A Brief History Of The Hungarian Academy Of Sciences (1825-2002)

SÁNDOR KÓNYA: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (1825-2002) and academic qualification. Furthermore, it was the Academy's job to supervise scientific societies, direct the publication of scientific books and journals, and promote international scientific relations. The Academy was intended to play an important part in disseminating the official ideology of Marxism-Leninism and its application in the field of science. In order to make the Academy suited for performing this role, the new bylaws stipulated the substantial reduction in the number of Academy members from 257 to 131. For political and ideological reasons, the majority of the old members and specifically, 122 of them - including many eminent scholars — were reclassified consulting members, thus virtually excluded. In the course of the reorganization, the Aesthetics Subsection, composed of writers and artists, was dissolved. At first six, then ten sections were created. The scientific sections established a broad network of committees by changing the previous system of committees. In the 1950s and 1960s, the academic research institutes were established primarily for the purpose of carrying out basic research in the field of natural sciences and the study of social sciences. The operational system of the Academy - particularly in the beginning - was strictly centralized. Formally, the general assembly of academicians constituted its supreme body, but in fact it was a new organ, the Presidium, controlled by the Hungarian Workers' Party, that directed the Academy. The Presidium was comprised of elected officers and section chairmen. The sections were headed by five-to-seven-member directorates. Although many elements in the function, jurisdiction, operational mechanism of the Academy changed between 1949 and 1989 — mostly following the partial changes in the political system and in science policy therein — essentially it remained a scientific body highly dependent on political authority and, simultaneously, an organization performing state administrative tasks. Over this 40-year period the Academy had four presidents: István Rusznyák (1948—1970), Tibor Erdey-Grúz (1970-1976), János Szentágothai (1976-1985), and IvánT. Berend (1985-1990). The organizational reform introduced in 1969 intended to put an end to the difficulties arising from the dual function of acting both as a scientific body and as an administrative organ supervising the institutes, by formally keeping the unity of the Academy but organizationally separating the two activities. It "relieved" the scientific bodies (the Presidium, the sections and committees) of the administration of institutes in order to enable these bodies to exert a greater conceptual and methodological influence on the whole of scientific life, and put it them under the control of the president and the Presidium. The secretary-general, appointed by the government, was assigned with management and the supervision of the institutes. He was assisted in this work by the Central Bureau, which had ministerial status and carried out state administrative functions. Party and state control could be exercised directly — bypassing the various bodies — through the secretary-general acting as a government official. Although this rigid separation eased at the end of the 1970s and the role of scientific bodies in controlling the institutes grew, in essence, this organizational duality persisted until 1990, that is, formally speaking, until 1994 when the new law on the Academy came into force. In spite of the distortions often forced onto it, or the voluntarily assumed one-sided practices, and mistakes, important achievements mark this 40-year period. Unquestionably, the most important contribution the Academy made to Hungarian science — besides the achievements of its members — was the theoretical work done at the research institutes and its application in practice. The high standard of the work of Academy members and academic institutes justly received international recognition in a number of areas and assured the participation of hundreds of Hungarian researchers in the broad system of international scientific relations. The Academy's participation in the system of academic qualification helped thousands to acquire academic degrees and enhance the success of Hungarian research. THE TRANSITION (1988-1996) The economic crisis in the late 1980s also had an impact on the amount of financial aid extended to research. Work began on how to change the management systems, including research management, to make them less costly for the state. It was also raised that the academic institutes should be dissolved, or annexed to universities. Given this situation, at the end of the 1980s, a reform process began to evolve at the Academy with the initiative for framing a new law on the Academy. Academy members unjustly expelled in 1949 were rehabilitated in 1989. In 1990, the new bylaws were adopted. 15