Exhibition in the Spirit of Rural Development. The Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition and Fair Organized in 1927 in Lengyeltóti

Abstract

Agriculture was the dominant sector of the Hungarian economy for a long time. Although there was quick industrialisation starting in the middle of the nineteenth century, this could barely change the country’s overall agrarian orientation. Territories lost as a result of the Treaty of Trianon even enhanced the role of agriculture. It is well-known that worldwide overproduction and other reasons caused lean years for agriculture in the 1920s. My study deals with Somogy County, an underdeveloped region. It was an important question how the production of small and medium scale landowners could be increased. To materialise this idea a decades old organisation, the Somogy Vármegyei Gazdasági Egyesület (Somogy County Economic Association) came forward. My examination presents the initiation, the course and the consequences of the expo held in Lengyeltóti, Northern Somogy County. The event which took place at the manor of Count Béla Zichy resulted presentation of goods, competitions and significant amount of exchange of goods. The high-quality products were mostly presented by the manors, but it was important that most of the participants arrived from settlements around Lengyeltóti. Throughout the two-day expo 700 participants and 10000 visitors were counted. The event became the major topic of conversation in both local and regional press for a few days, directing attention to the necessity of development in domestic agriculture and its potential directions.