Sascha Becker, Warwick University

"From the Death of God to the Rise of Fascism"

Abstract

Can weakened religiosity lead to the rise of totalitarianism? Fascist parties in both Italy and Germany set themselves up as a political religions, emphasizing redemption, sacrifice, rituals, and communal spirit. This had a major impact on their success: Where religiosity was lower, as reflected in first names, the Italian Fascist and the German Nazi party received higher electoral support and saw more party entry. Where the influence of Christianity was weak, and superstitious practices survived, support for fascist parties was greater. Voting for the Communist Party shows similar associations with weak Christianity. Importantly, we find predictive power at the individual level: Within each municipality, the likelihood of joining the Italian Fascist and the Nazi Party was higher for those with less Christian first names.

(Joint with Joachim Voth)

Contact person: Pablo Selaya