Legacies of the Third Reich: Concentration Camps and Out-group Intolerance
Sandwiches will be provided.
We explore the long-term political consequences of the Third Reich and show that current political intolerance, xenophobia, and voting for radical right-wing parties are associated with proximity to former Nazi concentration camps in Germany. This relationship is not explained by contemporary attitudes, the location of the camps, geographic sorting, the economic impact of the camps, or their current use. We argue that cognitive dissonance led those more directly exposed to Nazi institutions to conform with the belief system of the regime. These attitudes were then transmitted across generations. The evidence provided here contributes both to our understanding of the legacies of historical institutions and the sources of political intolerance.
Date: 14 February 2020, 12:15 (Friday, 4th week, Hilary 2020)
Venue: Manor Road Building, Manor Road OX1 3UQ
Venue Details: Seminar Room A
Speaker: Jonathan Homola (Rice University)
Organising department: Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR)
Organisers: Nelson Ruiz (University of Oxford), Dr Radoslaw Zubek (University of Oxford), Professor Petra Schleiter (University of Oxford), Dr David Doyle (University of Oxford)
Part of: Politics Research Colloquium
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Holly Omand