Századok – 2017

2017 / 4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Hámori Péter: Szegénysorsok a Kalocsai Érsekséghez benyújtott segélykérelmek tükrében (1920–1944)

SZEGÉNYSORSOK A KALOCSAI ÉRSEKSÉGHEZ BENYÚJTOTT SEGÉLYKÉRELMEK TÜKRÉBEN

786

PAUPER LIVES REFLECTED BY PETITIONS OF RELIEF ADDRESSED TO THE ARCHBISHOPRIC OF KALOCSA (1920–1944)

by Péter Hámori

SUMMARY

The study analyses the approximately one and a half thousand written petitions of relief that were addressed to the archbishopric of Kalocsa between 1920 and 1944. The petitioners are divided into two broad categories (former middle-class people who had descended into deep poverty after the war, and individuals such as daymen, wageworkers, servants, etc., who already belonged to the lower social orders before the war). The author employs an analytical framework containing eighteen criteria to explore the respective importance and emphasis of these variables in the argumentation employed by the two categories of petitioners. The impact they made on the decision makers of the archbishopric is also investigated.