The Scale of Value and Behaviour of the Elite in Győr during the Economic and Political Crisis between 1870 and 1945

Abstract

Communities can be valued upon what type of elite they create. The way elite groups are being created or the way they come to live is very much connected to the historical ambience in which they nurture. The elite in Gy őr exemplifies this paradigm in the time lapse between the two World Wars. Although the town had a geographically excellent position it was rather the economic, political and cultural elite that determined the faith and prosperity of the commu- nity. The cohesion of the three elite groups were much stronger till up to the und World War, than they are at present. The cultural phenomenon, like the hospitality, the urban lifestyle and value system, the opportunities provided by the council, the social responsibility of the elite, the feeling of solidarity all played a crucial role in handling both the economic and political crises. As from the beginning of the XIXth century till the end of the und World War the elite groups of Gy őr derived from the same network of families, the responses to challenges proved to be consequential and stable. The change from a merchant town to an industrialised one, just as the crises of the World Wars were managed by the same elite, which was hospitable enough for instance to integrate Jewish communities throughout several genera- tions. In the era of the holocaust the Christian members of the town's elite groups did all they could to support or aid this Jewish community.