Beyond the Socialist Sector

In accordance with Soviet expectations, collectivization took place in Hungary by 1961, as a result of which large-scale production became dominant. The state party did not support for ideological reasons, but also tolerated small-scale production due to economic necessity. However, the literature primarily presents the agricultural history of the Kádár period, focusing on collectivization and established cooperatives, and there is relatively little mention of small-scale production. However, its importance cannot be neglected at all since it played a decisive role in ensuring that the total reorganization of agriculture did not result in a radical decrease in production. After collectivization, household plots belonging to cooperative members could remain, and the types of farms created in this way accounted for about half of the small producers. Much less is known, however, about the other important group of small-scale producers, the auxiliary farms. What were the characteristics of the two farm types? Why did the authorities treat them differently? From the beginning of the 1970s, despite the restrictions, small-scale production increased, which process was interrupted by the effect of the 1973 oil crisis. After that, the attitude of the authorities towards small farmers also changed. How? What measures signaled this change? My study, therefore, basically has a dual purpose. On the one hand, I would like to give a comprehensive picture of small-scale production in Hungary and the relationship between the authorities and small producers. On the other hand, I would like to present the two main types of farms belonging to small producers: household and auxiliary farms.