Highway to Hitler

Voigtl盲nder, Nico; Voth, Hans-Joachim

doi:10.1257/app.20180816

Abstract

We show that the building of the Autobahn network in Nazi Germany boosted popular support for Adolf Hitler, helping to entrench the Nazi dictatorship. Support for the Nazis increased particularly strongly where highway construction coincided with greater radio availability 鈥� a major source of propaganda. The effect of highways was also significantly stronger in politically unstable states of the Weimar Republic. Our results suggest that infrastructure spending can raise support for autocracy when voters are led to associate it with visible economic progress and an end to political instability.

蝌蚪网

蝌蚪网 Journal:
Applied Economics