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The Death Camp Eldorado: Political and Economic Effects of Mass Violence

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  • CHARNYSH, VOLHA
  • FINKEL, EVGENY

Abstract

Transfer and redistribution of wealth accompany most violent conflicts throughout the world, yet the local-level political and economic effects of this phenomenon remain unexplored. We address this omission by examining the long-term impact on the surrounding communities of the Nazi death camp Treblinka in Poland, where nearly a million Jews were murdered. The assets of murdered Jews sometimes ended up in the hands of the local population. We are able to identify the enduring impact of these property transfers on local economic and political outcomes because the exact location of Treblinka was exogenous to the characteristics of surrounding communities. We find that communities located closer to the camp experienced a real estate boom but do not exhibit higher levels of economic and social development. These communities also showed higher support for an anti-Semitic party, the League of Polish Families. Our findings speak to an important but overlooked challenge to post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation.

Suggested Citation

  • Charnysh, Volha & Finkel, Evgeny, 2017. "The Death Camp Eldorado: Political and Economic Effects of Mass Violence," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 111(4), pages 801-818, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:111:y:2017:i:04:p:801-818_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Firestone, Berenike & Ditlmann, Ruth & Turkoglu, Oguzhan, 2024. "Confronting the past in a polarized present: The effect of Holocaust representations on mobilization for symbolic justice and against antisemitism," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Transformations of Democracy SP V 2024-504, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    2. Štěpán Jurajda & Dejan Kovač, 2021. "Names and behavior in a war," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 1-33, January.
    3. Becker, Sascha O. & Mukand, Sharun & Yotzov, Ivan, 2022. "Persecution, pogroms and genocide: A conceptual framework and new evidence," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Krzysztof Krakowski & Max Schaub, 2022. "Elite murder and popular resistance: Evidence from post-World War II Poland," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-148, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    5. Arbatli, Cemal Eren & Gomtsyan, David, 2019. "Voting retrospectively: Critical junctures and party identification," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 356-390.
    6. Stefano Costalli & Daniele Guariso & Patricia Justino & Andrea Ruggeri, 2023. "The violent legacy of fascism: Neofascist political violence in Italy, 1969-88," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-34, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Gary Uzonyi & Nam Kyu Kim & Nakissa Jahanbani & Victor Asal, 2021. "Genocide, Politicide, and the Prospects of Democratization since 1900," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 65(9), pages 1521-1550, October.

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