Loose Cannons: War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany
利用1893-1933年选举面板数据和新的一战老兵数据，发现老兵的政治偏好从左转向右，且这一转变源于民族主义和反共情绪，而非暴力经历或战后事件。
This article shows that democracy in Weimar Germany was eroded by the political legacy of WWI. Using novel data on WWI 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 toward the political right. Contrary to historical accounts, veterans’ shifts in political preferences cannot be explained by exposure to violence or other polarizing post-war events.