Preliminary inquiries into the demographic behavior of the Saxon political elite from Transylvania (mid. 19th - mid. 20th centuries)
Abstract
Research on political elites has usually focused on their political activity and less on other aspects, such as demography, which is rather an uncommon focus. The purpose of this article is to analyze the demographic behavior of Transylvanian Saxon politicians elected to the Hungarian (1867-1918) and Romanian (1919-1938) parliaments.
The period in which they were politically active overlaps to a certain extent with the first demographic transition in the area. Thus, I first explore changes in mortality, followed by the ones in marital and fertile behavior, as these are usually the tell-tale signs of the first demographic transition.
Moreover, the investigation also focuses on whether there were visible differences between this elite and the entire ethnic group, the region, and the Habsburg Monarchy from a demographic point of view. The data used for this article was gathered from 19th and 20th century parishes and civil registers and genealogical websites, as well as from secondary sources such as almanacs, lexicons, and newspapers.
Concerning the methodology, the investigation made use of methods from various disciplines, namely family reconstitution through demographic data and historical comparison and the generational approach from sociology. The present analysis reveals that the target group in many aspects followed similar trends to the richer half of the Habsburg Monarchy, being ahead of the changes that took place at the level of their own ethnic group and region.
This showcases not only their privileged social position, but also their role as social 'innovators'.