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Contribution Details

Type Working Paper
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title From the Death of God to the rise of Hitler
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Sascha O Becker
  • Hans-Joachim Voth
Language
  • English
Institution Centre for Economic Policy Research
Series Name CEPR Discussion Papers
Number 18543
ISSN 0265-8003
Number of Pages 58
Date 2023
Abstract Text Can weakened religiosity lead to the rise of totalitarianism? The Nazi Party set itself up as a political religion, emphasizing redemption, sacrifice, rituals, and communal spirit. This had a major impact on its success: Where the Christian Church only had shallow roots, the Nazis received higher electoral support and saw more party entry. "Shallow Christianity" reflects the geography of medieval Christianization and the strength of pagan practices, which we use as sources of exogenous variation. We also find predictive power at the individual level: Within each municipality, the likelihood of joining the Nazi Party was higher for those with less Christian first names.
Official URL https://cepr.org/publications/dp18543
Other Identification Number merlin-id:24354
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