This article shows that democracy in Weimar Germany was eroded by the political legacy of WW1. Using novel data on WW1 veterans and an election panel from 1893-1933, I find that former soldiers are associated with a sizeable, persistent and momentous shift in political preferences from left to right. I provide suggestive evidence that war participation made veterans highly receptive to nationalism and Anti-Communism. This alienated them from leftwing parties and drove the majority towards the political right. Contrary to historical accounts, veterans’ shift in political preferences cannot be explained by exposure to violence or other polarising post-war events.
Loose Cannons: War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany
Koenig C
2023
Abstract
This article shows that democracy in Weimar Germany was eroded by the political legacy of WW1. Using novel data on WW1 veterans and an election panel from 1893-1933, I find that former soldiers are associated with a sizeable, persistent and momentous shift in political preferences from left to right. I provide suggestive evidence that war participation made veterans highly receptive to nationalism and Anti-Communism. This alienated them from leftwing parties and drove the majority towards the political right. Contrary to historical accounts, veterans’ shift in political preferences cannot be explained by exposure to violence or other polarising post-war events.
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