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• THE AMBASSADOR OF THE RECOMMENCEMENT: ISTVÁN BENCSIK (1953-1970)

  5-14

  Béla Surányi

  Views:

  289

  Agriculture played a significant role in consolidating the domestic political system after 1956. The rapid development of the Hungarian agricultural sector's performance contributed significantly to the country's relations with the economically developed regions of the world, with the so-called Hungarian model incorporating backyard farming into large-scale agriculture. However, this progress was achieved through an arduous road to development, resulting in internationally recognised vocational training standards in agriculture, particularly in higher agricultural education. Since the second half of the 1960s, there has been a noticeable development in the agricultural sector in Hungary. It has managed to preserve the creative traditions of its historical peasantry to a certain extent. The Debrecen agricultural higher education had a decisive role in the ambitious development of Hungarian agriculture. István Bencsik was an outstanding player in this process, actively contributing to the material and intellectual foundation of higher education in Debrecen. His work later impacted the agriculture of Tiszántúl and the wider region.

• THOUGHTS ON THE BEGINNINGS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF THEIR IRON DIPLOMA

  234-240

  József Schalbert

  Views:

  57

  The Georgikon, founded in 1797 in Keszthely by the Festetics family, the agricultural college established in 1818 in Mosonmagyaróvár by Prince Albert Casimir of Saxony-Teschen, and later the one founded in 1868 in Pallag by the city of Debrecen, all played a significant role in advancing Hungarian agriculture throughout the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. These academies were shut down in 1948–1949, following the land reform of 1945. However, with the reorganization of socialist agriculture and the push for collectivization, it became necessary to restart agricultural education. This led to Presidential Council Decree No. 9 in 1953, which authorized the reestablishment of regional agricultural academies. The process was swift, and the academy in Debrecen was the first to reopen − ironically turning the last into the first. Acting on the instructions of then-Minister of Agriculture Ferenc Erdei, a committee was set up to determine whether the half-finished agricultural secondary school in Pallag − damaged during the war − or the one on Böszörményi Road would be more suitable for reopening the academy. In hindsight, the committee’s decision to choose the Böszörményi Road location proved wise, as it offered vast development potential. This potential was successfully realized by István Bencsik, who − based on Decree No. 35 − oversaw the transformation of the institution into a university-level college. Thanks to prioritized government investment, the new institution became a true jewel of Hungarian agricultural education.