Loose Cannons: War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany

Christoph Koenig

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: I study the adverse political effects of WW1 in Weimar Germany. Using novel data on WW1 veterans and an election panel from 1893-1933, I show that former soldiers are associated with a sizeable, persistent and potentially momentous shift in political preferences from left to right. Contrary to historical accounts, this shift cannot be explained by exposure to violence or other polarising post-war events. Rather, I provide suggestive evidence that war participation made veterans highly receptive to Red Menace fears of a Socialist revolution. This alienated veterans from leftwing parties and drove the majority towards inclusive, rightwing parties using anti-left platforms.

Keywords: JEL Classification: D72; N43; N44 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-his and nep-pol
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https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/c ... tions/wp497.2020.pdf

Related works:
Journal Article: Loose Cannons: War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany (2023)
Working Paper: Loose Cannons – War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany (2015)
Working Paper: Loose Cannons – War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cge:wacage:497

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