The Issue of Land Ownership and Rural Nationalism in the East Central European/ECE/Countries. A Case Study of Hungary

Land has had a crucial role in the rural-nationalist ideology, especially with respect to its scarcity. In this ideology the land itself embodies a symbolic meaning which could be referred to as the "national mother-earth" which must be protected from aliens. This was the reason why the governments of the ECE candidate countries asked and received a period of 7-12 years exemption from EU rules with respect to the free movement of capital for the purpose of purchasing agricultural land.