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

AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS IN HUNGARY IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY György Fehér Hungary, lying in the Central East European region, owing to its bourgeois revolution at the middle of the last century took the way of social and economic development that West European countries had already chosen several decades before. Acceleration of this process was beneficially aided by the fact that from 1867 on the country threw off the shackles of political dependence hindering its progress, in Hungary beginning from the second half of the 19th century — with bourgeois possession and land property conditions gradually gaining ground — elements of traditional farming disappeared. They were replaced by market-oriented capitalistic type estates among which the number of large estates, latifundia, with areas of several thousands, in some cases several ten thousands hectares was unhealthily high from economic point of view. In Hungary the first organizations for safeguarding agriculturist's interests were established as early as beginning from 1825. Decisive services in their establishment were rendered by a highly talented personality of Hungarian aristocracy, count Istvan Széchenyi. This politician who played an outstanding role in modernizing the country, organized in 1835 — based on his experience gained in England — the first organization for safeguarding and representing agrarian interest in its modern sense, the Hungarian National Agricultural Association (Magyar Országos Gazdasági Egyesület). In the decades between the 1820s and the bourgeois revolution of 1848, called reform era, the early economic organizations — due to the situation of the country, namely the concerted appearance of the claim to political independence and social and economic modernization — formulated political aims in addition to their professional programs, and their activity was therefore limited in some cases. This limitation happened in the most drastic way after the bourgeois revolution and liberation war of 1848/49, suppressed by foreign military forces. The military regime established in the period called absolutism forbade the activity of associations in Hungary. However, the leaders of the Association asked the monarch ahead) in spring of 1850 to make an exception in the case of agricultural associations and education, and to agree to permit their activity. The imperial and royal council of the governor-general in its answer given a year later essentially refused the request, so between 1851 and 1857 the Association could maintain legal continuity but through its committee. Its activity was limited chiefly to disseminating farming experience, and it was authorized by the monarch to publish the high level weekly "Gazdasági Lapok" (Fanning News). The year 1857 brought about a radical turn in the life of the organization