A hátország megtévesztő nyugalma
Illusive Quietude in the Hinterland

Cluj (Kolozsvár) during World War I

Summary/Abstract: War is a disquieting episode in one’s life, even if one sits out the clash of arms, as was the case of the people living in Cluj during World War I. However far from the battle sites, they soon fell victims to the war effort. Between 1914 and 1918 food became more and more scarce, the price of everything rose, and requisitions entered in a monthly routine. Female labor was unable to replace the many thousand men absenting the local economy. Medium sized and lower incomes drastically diminished, thus endangering the livelihood of many families. Moreover, the city was caught in a continuous gush of military personnel, and was practically run over by refugees fleeing the Romanian offensive in September of 1916. Circumstances favored the traders, the black marketers, the pub owners and the young silent movie industry. Through desperate measures city management tried hard to keep the recession afloat. The end of war erupted in a chaos of disintegration for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A new era was soon to begin for the city of Cluj.

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