Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/157273 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
QUCEH Working Paper Series No. 2017-04
Publisher: 
Queen's University Centre for Economic History (QUCEH), Belfast
Abstract: 
This paper explores the relationship between Nazi membership and social mobility using a unique and highly detailed dataset of military conscripts and volunteers during the Third Reich. We find that membership of a Nazi organisation is positively related to social mobility when measured by the difference between fathers' and sons' occupations. This relationship is stronger for the more 'elite' NS organisations, the NSDAP and the SS. However, we find that this observed difference in upward mobility is driven by individuals with different characteristics self-selecting into these organisations, rather than from a direct reward to membership. These results are confirmed by a series of robustness tests. In addition, we employ our highly-detailed dataset to explore the determinants of Nazi membership. We find that NS membership is associated with higher socio-economic background and human capital levels.
Subjects: 
National Socialism
Third Reich
Social Mobility
Nazi Membership
Second World War
Political Economy
Germany
Economic History
JEL: 
J62
N24
N44
P16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
498.86 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.