Invites you to a

School seminar presented by

Sascha O. Becker

(Monash University)

From the Death of God to the Rise of Hitler

Co-authors:
Hans-Joachim Voth (University of Zurich)

Thursday 6 April 2023

11.00am – 12.30pm

Zoom: 892 3953 6119

Abstract: Does 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, which we use as a source of exogenous variation. Importantly, 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.

For further information contact: School seminar series coordinators
Ye Lu (ye.lu1@sydney.edu.au) & Alastair Fraser (alastair.fraser@sydney.edu.au)

For all upcoming seminars in School of Economics see Our events and Calendar