First in the National Assembly Margit Slachta's political agency and the question of female representation (1920-1922)

Abstract

Margit Slachta's presence in the National Assembly – quickly forgetting her uniqueness – cannot be said to be formal, on the contrary, with her bold and courageous speeches she quickly gained recognition among her fellow representatives. Slachta, who chose an independent life and an individual path at a young age and had a teaching qualification and a German-French civil school teacher's qualification, made herself most noticeable in the National Assembly and outside it in the fields of women's protection, suffrage, and social issues. As a socio-political agent, she became a frequent figure in political newspapers, since she was both the first female representative, a pioneer in the field of social assistance, and a Christian feminist, she was active in areas that were sensitive to the political elite. In my research, I examine the press representation of Margit Slachta's time in the National Assembly in the light of national political newspapers. The time frame: the period between January 1920 and March 1922. The essential question in the qualitative analysis is whether a pattern or even a marked difference can be detected in the subject choices of the published content in the selected organs? What content did the editorial offices publish about Margit Slachta’s representatives or her extra-governmental, civil activities? Did the most widely read newspaper of the era, Az Est, or the government-friendly 8 Órai Újság, intended as its competitor, or one of the prominent ones of the Central Press Company, Nemzeti Újság, publish articles on different subjects related to Slachta? An exciting question is whether a pattern or difference can be detected in the subject choices of politically connected organs – focusing on Slachta’s activities. During the research, it became clear that the newspapers represented Margit Slachta depending on their political orientation. The government-critical Az Est almost neglected the activities of the representative. The Nemzeti Újság, which is affiliated with the Christian clergy, covered her in detail and even published its position criticizing the government.