Lázár Vilmos szerk.: Termelőszövetkezettörténeti tanulmányok 1. (Mezőgazdaságtörténeti tanulmányok 6. Magyar Mezőgazdasági Múzeum, Budapest, 1972)

Összefoglaló (angolul)

undertook to write the history of about 60 cooperative farms and part of the studies has already been completed. The Minister has the conviction that the histories of cooperative farms — by showing the development of a large-scale management — will command a manifold interest. They provide not only a comprehensive konowledge revealing the variation of development for the professionals of agrarian history and agricultural economics, but serve also as a valuable source of reference to research workers of general history, sociology and other social sciences as well, since they disclose the economic background of the social change taking place in villages. In addition to the scientists the papers can be recommended also to those taking part in economic policy making or in management. A systematized evaluation of such data as throwing light upon the factors and conditions the economic growth in the farm was enhanced by is extremely useful for them too. However, a knowledge like that can be utilized not only at home, but similarly beyond our frontiers, as the larger half of the world is facing the problem of solving the historical task of a larger-scale agricultural production, An exchange of experiences makes the pathway easier for them. Ferenc DONATH provides a roughly outlined history of large-scale evolution in the Hungarian cooperative agriculture. In the last months of the second World War a landreform in a great style accomplished in Hungary: every third hold of land (1 hold = 0,57 hectare) changed proprietor, the large estates were distributed among the poor peasants, about 400 000 new small farms were established and a quarter of a million small holders obtained land. In 1949 the Hungarian agriculture was composed of two million small farms and somewhat more than 50 per cent of the occupied population was active in agriculture. Collectivization commenced in 1949: taking the major changes in the economic policy of the country for a basis, three main periods of the largescale cooperative transformation can be distinguished. The first period lasted from 1949 until the grave political crisis in the year 1956. The principal objective set in the economic policy of the country was industrialization, and the total collectivization of agriculture was to be accomplished simultaneously during a single five-years plan period. In this economic-political conception agriculture was given the role of providing part of the labour force and material resources necessary for industrialization. This conception assumed that the yields and outputs of agriculture can be increased by the mere concentration of the area and labour force of small farms within the frames of large-scale establishments. It happened, however, the other way round. Even in 1956 the area of the cooperative farms amounted only to 16 per cent of the production area. As a consequence of the slaky property relations and unfavourable price- and marketing conditions the level of production —• with the exception of two years with unusually favorable weather conditions — did not reach the pre-war level.