The Delegates of Rural Municipalities in the Upper House During the Horthy Era

Abstract

In the Upper House that operated from 1927, the delegates of rural municipalities represented a significant, however, not decisive part (30%) of the board members. Following the establishment of the institution the social composition of the group had been rather one-dimensional, as it was comprised mainly of retired civil servants, landholders and clergymen. The interest of the delegates of the counties primarily concentrated around questions regarding local governments. Based on their speeches delivered in the upper house, they were characterized by a strong conservative stance. On the one hand they opposed the democratization of rural municipal elections while on the other they criticized the centralization efforts of different governments. In spite of the latter opinions only some of them were oppositionists explicitly, and most of them were essentially loyal to government policy regardless of the persona of the prime minister.