Ministry of Agriculture, Presidential Records, 1889-1944

Collection description

Holding institution (official language):: Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára

Title (official language):: Földművelésügyi Minisztérium elnöki iratok, 1889-1944

Scope and content:: The collection of the Presidential Records of the Ministry of Agriculture (1889-1944) comprises the papers that were created at the Presidential Department (Elnöki Osztály) during these years. The most relevant files for the study of antisemitic radicalisation of Hungarian agrarian policy are the bills and proposals the Ministry made at the Council of Ministers meetings as well as the decisions taken there that affected the policy and activity of the Ministry, statistical data and censuses, and the records pertaining to land reforms and other measures to alleviate agrarian poverty. These acts of agrarian policy were increasingly financed by discriminatory policies against certain social groups, most of all the Jews. From as early as 1920, land reforms and settlement projects were developed primarily on land requisitioned from Jewish owners. The possibility of requisitioning Jewish-owned property was first made explicit in the Second Jewish Law (Act IV of 1939), which also restricted the rights of Jews to obtain landed property. The process of “Aryanisation” in the agricultural sector was finalized by Act XV of 1942 on Jewish-owned agricultural land and forests, also known as the Fourth Jewish Law.

Archival history:: The Presidential Records of the Ministry of Agriculture were registered annually (1889 to 1944) and independently of other records of the same ministry. Next to these, there are thematically arranged papers. There are further materials to help the researcher such as item registries, subject indexes and books on the files.

Administrative/biographical history:: The Royal Ministry of the Agriculture (1889-1945) was the central authority to conduct and supervise the implementation of land reforms and other measures of land policy.

Subject terms:: Agriculture; Antisemitism; Antisemitism--Antisemitic legislation; Land; Plunder; Plunder--Aryanisation; Real estate

Finding aids:: Registries and indexes are available for the collection in Hungarian.