A magyar borkereskedelem sikerei és kudarcai az első világháború idején
The Successes and Failures of the Hungarian Wine Trade during the World War I

Summary/Abstract: Economic history typically views the Great War as a period marked by the isolation of economies and the disruption of global trade. Recent analyses, however, suggest a shift towards the reorganization of economic and financial relations and highlight the growing significance of trade between military blocks. This shift is also reflected in the Hungarian wine trade, which, for various reasons, gained increased significance during the last two years of the war, becoming Hungary’s most important export item. The study primarily reviews the increasingly pivotal role of wine export in the national economy, highlighting the conflicts of interest that emerged both internationally and domestically. Germany’s role as a military ally and an economic and geopolitical competitor receives special attention, as do the economic interests of Austria– Hungary with Ukraine. Hungarian wine producers and traders sought to protect their interests amidst changing international and domestic market conditions, while also contending with the government’s centralizing efforts. Consequently, the paper also reflects on how the free trade of wine served to enrich producers, traders, and the banking elite, and investigates the tactics used by the government to capitalize on these profits.

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