Politikusok és tudósok. Az Akadémia a dualizmus idején

Abstract

The present article reviews the history of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences during the era of Dualism. Rather than focusing merely on institutional history, however it outlines the most significant organizational reforms, it seeks to shed light on the values, concepts of science and the sense of mission which defined the operation of the Academy through studying how its leaders interpreted their roles. During this period, the Academy was also led mainly by politicians, albeit such politicians well versed in the world of science. Although the presidents themselves did not determine the science policy of the era, they played a major role in deciding whether the Academy should prefer linguistic and literary tasks or represent the interests of more narrowly defined scientific disciplines. They also faced the challenge that an institution oriented more toward specialized sciences no longer attracted the same level of public interest as it had when it was still striving for national goals, and they had to shape the institution's relationship with the dynamically developing university sphere.