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The German Elections in the 1870s: Why Germany Turned from Liberalism to Protectionism

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  • Lehmann, Sibylle H.

Abstract

In 1878 the liberal parties lost enough votes to lose the majority in the parliament which they had defended in the general election just one year before. In this article, the questions of where the voters came from and why the voting changed so crucially within one year are reexamined. The analysis uses a new set of data and makes use of King's algorithm, a tool provided by modern political science. The main finding of this article is that the change towards protectionism was not caused by new, but by floating voters from the agricultural sector.

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  • Lehmann, Sibylle H., 2010. "The German Elections in the 1870s: Why Germany Turned from Liberalism to Protectionism," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(1), pages 146-178, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:70:y:2010:i:01:p:146-178_00
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Alexander, Patrick D. & Keay, Ian, 2019. "Responding to the First Era of Globalization: Canadian Trade Policy, 1870–1913," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 79(3), pages 826-861, September.
    4. Kersting, Felix, 2017. "Coal and Blood: Industrialization and the Rise of Nationalism in Prussia before 1914," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 52, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    5. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6flqrv4et09btppk9s58qgp979 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Thilo R. Huning & Fabian Wahl, 2016. "You Reap What You Know: Observability of Soil Quality, and Political Fragmentation," Working Papers 0101, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    7. Lehmann, Sibylle & Volckart, Oliver, 2011. "The political economy of agricultural protection: Sweden 1887," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(1), pages 29-59, April.
    8. VAN DIJCK, Maarten & TRUYTS, Tom, 2014. "The agricultural invasion and the political economy of agricultural trade policy in Belgium, 1875-1900," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2014002, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    9. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6flqrv4et09btppk9s58qgp979 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • H83 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - Public Administration
    • N43 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: Pre-1913

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