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Hysteresis and Selection in the Rise of Fascism: The `Ordinary Men' of the Nazi Party

Author

Listed:
  • Luis Bosshart
  • Max Deter
  • Leander Heldring
  • Cathrin Mohr
  • Matthias Weigand

Abstract

We digitize and analyze the near-universe of National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) membership records and link them to newly digitized population and industrial censuses. Four findings emerge. First, as the party expanded, its membership came to resemble the broader population more closely in occupational, demographic, and religious terms. Second, SS members remained distinctly different: younger, more educated, and more fanatical, as proxied by membership portraits. Third, within communities, coworkers, and families, early membership generated hysteresis, with subsequent entrants drawn from the same groups. Finally, local increases in party membership are associated with subsequent deportations of Germany's Jews.

Suggested Citation

  • Luis Bosshart & Max Deter & Leander Heldring & Cathrin Mohr & Matthias Weigand, 2026. "Hysteresis and Selection in the Rise of Fascism: The `Ordinary Men' of the Nazi Party," Papers 2604.17697, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2026.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2604.17697
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    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2604.17697
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