László Bukovszky: Chapters from the past of Deáki (1848-1945)

Deáki has one of the most important place in the Slovak and general Hungarian history. His historical past goes back to the 11th century that is evidenced with the foundation document issued by St. István, at the Pannonhalma Abbacy. The word Terra Wag” in the document according to the present-day interpretation means Deáki and its close neighbourhood.

The author in his study introduces the most important/revolutionary one hundred years of the history of Deáki. The civil revolution in 1848 and the consequent War of Independence, the consolidation of land-strips that ended the arrangement of land property relationships of villeins, and the social and economic results of the civil transformation during the dualism had a significant impact on the every-day life of the – from the legal point of view – large village (incorporated municipality). To the 19th – 20th century Deáki was one of the most dynamically developing territory of the Külső (meaning outer) district of the Pozsony county that has agricultural character, but also having significant mill industry. During fifty years the number of population of the territory lived only by Hungarians raised with 86 per cent. The First World War and the consequent change of imperium hindered this development for a short time, but in spite of the world-wide depression, the village could survive. For the thirties of the last century beside the economic boom, a very varied social life was characteristic. The village’s community – of which language was unified, but it had more religions – created for its own purposes the most different associations for the protection of interests, education, charity, and religion, and political party system, as well. The twenty-year-long peaceful developing period in the first one-third part of the 20th century were interrupted by the political events of the world. When according to the first Vienna Agreement the territory was annexed to Hungary, a new situation arose. Although the Czechoslovak country policy’s efforts for assimilation ended, but not even Deáki, but also the most part of re-annexed territories could not join the economic system of the mother country in such extent as it was characteristic for the previous period. It was to a great extent hindered by the Second World War, that except for material losses required significant losses of human life.