A magyar agrártársadalom gazdasági és pénzügyi helyzete az 1929-33-as válság idején

Abstract

(The economic and financial status of the Hungarian agrarian population during the crisis of 1929-1933) The economic crisis between 1929 and 1933 afflicted the agriculture high above the average. One reason for that was the regression of the Hungarian agriculture in the foreign markets after the Peace Treaty of Trianon. The protective system of the Dual Monarchy ceased to exist, and the successor states did not keep up a claim to the Hungarian cereals. The other reason was the inadequate Hungarian property system. In spite of the agrarian reform of the 1920s the 48 percent of the estates belonged to those owners who had more than 100 hectare land. The state determined the income bases for the property tax in a regressive way and according to the official data the small-holders (those with less than 100 hectares) had 40 percent greater income than the owners with more than 100 hectares. During the crisis the agriculture had to face serious difficulties caused by the bankcredits taken up earlier and by the back taxes. At the end of 1932 the all amount of debt of the agriculture was three times bigger than the value of production of the year. The low prices forced the small-holders to sale their properties.