The Land Reform of 1945

The land reform of 1945 was the first measure which struck at the basis of land ownership, significantly altering the economic structure of rural Hungary. The land reform, in turn, helped the Communist Party to activate cells in every village and establish a basis of popular support among the recipients of new land. The land reform was long awaited by the landless agricultural population; its final terms were announced in March 1945 and, with exceptional speed, actual redistribution of land was under way by April. The land reform was executed through locally elected land-claiming committees, the Kozsegi Foldigenylo Bizotsag (KFB) for short. The reform was closely monitored by the local and regional Communist Party cells, who helped and advised the KFBs. The land reform created few viable, self-sufficient farms, and the new recipients faced immense difficulties: they had hardly any implements, tools, animals or fertilizers to enrich the soil impoverished after the war.