Bethlen dunántúli kampánykörútja és eredményei 1922-ben

Abstract

Hungarian literature considers the elections of the national assembly between May and June 1922 one of the most important starting points of the Bethlen consolidation. The reason for this is that at this time Nagyatádi's Smallholders' Party (Nagyatádi-féle Kisgazdapárt) merged with the National Centre Party to form the Unity Party (Egységes Párt), which gained 143 seats out of the total 245 in the parliament. How was it possible? This study sets out to investigate this question. More specifically, only one part of the above mentioned campaign, since hereby it is attempted to closely examine only the Western Transdanubian campaign trail of Bethlen out of his altogether 6 elections campaign trails. The Prime Minister targeted this region because legitimists had their most powerful mass support by, most of all, the Catholic clergy and the masses. However, three ministers of his government went for constituencies here as well: Count Kuno Klebelsberg, Minister of Internal Affairs, in Sopron, whose opponents were Count Gyula Andrássy, one of leaders of the legitimists, and dr. Ede Hebel, law-school professor, who was the nominee of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party (MS ZDP). Lajos Hegyeshalmi, Minister of Trade, also went for the constituency in Szombathely, whose opponent was the legitimist Count György Cziráky. In the borough of Vasvár, József Vass, Minister of Religion and Education competed with István Haller, the Christian socialist nominee for the constituency. Thus, the study examines the campaign speeches and promises of Bethlen which were sophisticated and of high standard, and which remained realistic all throughout the campaign, as they promised economic, social and political consolidation. Nevertheless, the speeches could not alter the oppositional standpoint of the legitimist majority. Klebelsberg had already failed in the first election round, while the second one was won by the social democrat Hebel. Lajos Hegyeshalmi was beaten in the second round by Cziráky. The same was done to József Vass by István Haller. Accordingly, the study addresses these questions in detail.