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Historical roots of political extremism: The effects of Nazi occupation of Italy

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  • Fontana, Nicola
  • Nannicini, Tommaso
  • Tabellini, Guido

Abstract

We study the impact of the Italian Civil War and Nazi occupation of Italy in 1943–45 on postwar political outcomes. The Communist Party, which was more active in the resistance movement, gained votes in areas where the Nazi occupation was both longer and harsher, mainly at the expense of centrist parties. This effect persists until the late 1980s. These results suggest that civil war and widespread political violence reshape political identities in favor of the political groups that emerge as winners. This benefits extremist groups and hurts moderates since the former have a comparative advantage in organizing violent conflict.

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  • Fontana, Nicola & Nannicini, Tommaso & Tabellini, Guido, 2023. "Historical roots of political extremism: The effects of Nazi occupation of Italy," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 723-743.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:51:y:2023:i:3:p:723-743
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2023.05.006
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Civil War; Political extremism; Persistence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • N44 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: 1913-
    • P10 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - General

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