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Did Strategic Bombing in the Second World War lead to ‘German Angst’? A large-scale empirical test across 89 German cities

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Listed:
  • Obschonka, Martin
  • Stuetzer, Michael
  • Peter, Rentfrow
  • Jeff, Potter
  • Samuel, Gosling

Abstract

A widespread stereotype holds that the Germans are notorious worriers, an idea captured by the term, German Angst. An analysis of country-level neurotic personality traits (Trait Anxiety, Trait Depression, and Trait Neuroticism; N = 7,210,276) across 109 countries provided mixed support for this idea; Germany ranked 20th, 31st, and 53rd for Depression, Anxiety, and Neuroticism respectively suggesting, at best, the national stereotype is only partly valid. Theories put forward to explain the stereotypical characterization of Germany focus on the collective traumatic events experienced by Germany during WWII, such as the massive strategic bombing of German cities. We thus examined the link between strategic bombing of 89 German cities and today’s regional levels in neurotic traits (N = 33,534) and related mental health problems. Contrary to the WWII-bombing hypothesis, we found negative effects of strategic bombing on regional Trait Depression and mental health problems. This finding was robust when controlling for a host of economic factors and social structure. We also found Resilience X Stressor interactions: Cities with more severe bombings show more resilience today: lower levels of neurotic traits and mental health problems in the face of a current major stressor – economic hardship.

Suggested Citation

  • Obschonka, Martin & Stuetzer, Michael & Peter, Rentfrow & Jeff, Potter & Samuel, Gosling, 2017. "Did Strategic Bombing in the Second World War lead to ‘German Angst’? A large-scale empirical test across 89 German cities," MPRA Paper 83680, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:83680
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Under Siege and Under Fire: German Angst, the Second World War and the Long-Term Psychological Impact
      by crowleymarkj in NEP-HIS blog on 2018-03-08 08:02:29

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    1. Obschonka, Martin & Stuetzer, Michael & Rentfrow, Peter J. & Lee, Neil & Gosling, Samuel D. & Schmitt-Rodermund, Eva, 2018. "Fear, populism, and the geopolitical landscape: The “sleeper effect” of neurotic personality traits on regional voting behavior in the 2016 Brexit and Trump votes," MPRA Paper 88404, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Michael Fritsch & Martin Obschonka & Michael Wyrwich, 2018. "Historical Roots of Entrepreneurial Culture and Innovation Activity?An Analysis for German Regions," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1824, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jun 2018.
    3. Fritsch, Michael & Obschonka, Martin & Wahl, Fabian & Wyrwich, Michael, 2020. "The deep imprint of Roman sandals: Evidence of long-lasting effects of Roman rule on personality, economic performance, and well-being in Germany," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 05-2020, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    German Angst; Neuroticism; Personality; Strategic Bombing; Resilience; Cities; World War II;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • N9 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History

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