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Workers of the world, unite! Franchise extensions and the threat of revolution in Europe, 1820-1938

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  • Aidt, Toke S.

    (Faculty of Economics)

  • Jensen, Peter S.

    (Department of Business and Economics)

Abstract

This paper tests the hypothesis that the extension of the voting franchise was caused by the threat of revolution, as suggested by Acemoglu and Robinson (2000). We approximate the threat of revolution in a given country by revolutionary events happening in neighboring countries. We investigate the relationship between this new measure of the threat of revolution and measures of suffrage reform in two samples of European countries covering the period from 1820 to 1938. We find strong support for the ‘threat of revolution theory’. We also find some evidence that war triggered suffrage reform, whereas ‘modernization theory’ receives little support.

Suggested Citation

  • Aidt, Toke S. & Jensen, Peter S., 2010. "Workers of the world, unite! Franchise extensions and the threat of revolution in Europe, 1820-1938," Discussion Papers on Economics 7/2010, University of Southern Denmark, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sdueko:2010_007
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    The extension of the voting franchise; democracy; threat of revolution; suffrage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State

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