Csatlós Judit (szerk.): Vízizrí. Munkáskultúra a Duna partján - Életmód és társadalmi mozgalmak a modernitásban 2. (Budapest, 2016)

Az erdei Telep /The “Forest" Colony - Baloldaliság / Life on the Left

Taking the legal social democratic party and its affiliated trade unions together with the small illegal left-wing groups, there were an average of 150,000 organised workers during the period. The number would be even higher with the inclusion of left-wing sympathisers outside these organisations. Workers' culture was therefore the autonomous class culture of a large, heterogeneous, stratified, self-aware section of society. Conflicts leading to disciplinary investigations in workers' associations, exclusions and the formations of internal fractions created a boundary between the everyday norms of workers’ culture and those who breached them.

The demonstration of 1 September 1930 led to a considerable tightening of organisation within the movement, but also set off conflicts. The Munka-kör [Workers’ Circle] active in TTE venues were in constant dispute with the communist-affiliated 100%" circle. Kassák excluded young people who urged direct political action alongside cultural work. Ödön Palasovszky, who had madea great impact with hischoral compositions Punalua and Zri, came under criticism from the Munka-kör group for taking his production to an evening arranged by Countess Margit Bethlen. His work also caused conflict, because Punalua and Zri expressed unintelligibility and denial of meaning in connection with the concepts of revolution, rebellion and free love. This went against the demand that accessibility and agitation should take precedence over every other consideration. Political, artistic and social consciousness was thus a key question.

Political involvement was also the source of the most serious conflict within the TTE. In 1929, the central leadership banned discussion of political issues and party affairs within the association and closed down the sections where this had been going on most intensively, the gymnastic departments. The same year, people distributing the pamphlet of the Baloldali [Left-Wing] Blokk and the organisers of political seminars on outings were expelled from theorganisation. lnl932,acourthadaclauseinsertedintotheTTE regulations restricting attendance atgatherings to association membersand prohibiting politically oriented assemblies. This set off conflicts at organisational level between the central leadership and the regional organisations. Around 1935, the Szalmás Choir, an organic part of the history of the Colony, split in two: the moderate members wishing to maintain the status quo stayed with Piroska Szalmás and left Horány, while the more politically-conscious re-formed under Sándor Vándor.

As legislation gradually tightened regulation ofworkers' associations, conflicts inevitably arose concerning the concept and practice of workers’ culture. Members looked on the association as a culture-based class culture that developed awareness, i.e. was also politically aware, while the authorities of the time strove to narrow it down to uncontroversial leisure-time activity.

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