Nation-Building and Contested Identities: Romanian & Hungarian ...

BARNA ÁBRAHÁMthe banks. Petru Suciu, “Clasele sociale ale românilor din Ardeal” (The socialclasses of the Romanians in Transylvania), in Transilvania, Banatul, Criºana,Maramureºul: 1918-1928 (Transylvania, the Banat, Criºana, Maramureº: 1918-1928), vol. 1 (Bucharest: 1929), p. 692.17 S. “Bãncile ºi þìrãnimea” (Banks and the peasantry), Revista Economicã 5 (11July 1903), p. 239.18 Chapter X provided for the establishing of rural credit associations, because itwas their collective guarantee that could assure the repayment of the loans.But the leadership liquidated them in three years with the argument that peasantshad behaved light-headed and they had not observed the payment deadlines.In the author’s opinion, the bank in fact considered the profit too small,as it could circulate its money in more profitable operations than the long-termmortgage loans. See Bujor Surdu, “Aspecte privind rolul bãncilor în consolidareaburgheziei romîneºti din Transilvania pînã la primul rãzboi mondial”(Some aspects of the role of banks in the consolidation of the Romanian bourgeoisiein Transylvania up to the First World War), in Anuarul Institutului deIstorie din Cluj 5 (1962), pp. 186-187.19 Surdu seeks to answer the accusation of the contemporary Hungarian propagandathat the Romanian banks aimed at a deliberate transfer of Hungarian“national” estates into Romanian hands through parcelling. He points out thatat the bidding only the local smallholders had chances (they were given bankloans), and the respective estates were situated in regions inhabited by Romanians.Thanks to the Romanian banks, the rich peasantry became stronger,while the middle and poor strata declined. Surdu, “Aspecte privind rolul bãncilor,”pp.195-196.20 Surdu, “Aspecte privind rolul bãncilor,” p. 199.21 The author refers to the activity of Albina in 1887, which lent to about 23,000clients and issued execution in 1,847 cases. In a normal year, 8-10% of the creditsfinished with auction. Dobrescu, Elita româneascã în lumea satului transilvan,1867-1918, p. 267.22 In 1913, the Hungarian banks lent mortgage loans worth more than 21 millionkoronas to Romanian smallholders. This sum approximates the total value ofagrarian investments of the Romanian banks, while the Saxon banks lent some15 millions. On the other hand, Romanian banks lent some 5.7 millions toHungarian owners. Surdu, “Aspecte privind rolul bãncilor,” p. 194.23 Their importance in the social development – compared to the situation inRomania – is also highlighted by Hungarian researchers: “While beyond theCarpathians the leading political groups, based on the merchant class, createda political oligarchy interested mainly in the finances, on this side of the mountainsit was possible to shape a banking bourgeoisie that could become a strongmiddle class within the Hungarian society.” Miskolczy, A brassói román levanteikereskedõpolgárság kelet-nyugati közvetítõ szerepe (1780-1860), p. 173.24 Suciu, “Clasele sociale ale românilor,” p. 697.25 Dobrescu, Elita româneascã în lumea satului transilvan, 1867-1918, p. 23.26 A Hungarian pamphleteer, Pál Farkas, tried to map the middle class by usingdata from 28 counties of the eastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain andTransylvania. He considered the popas (priests, 3,223 persons) and the schoolteachers(2,951 persons) as a transitional stratum between the peasantry and220