Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that German regions with higher mortality rates from the virus had a higher vote share for the Nazi Party in the elections of 1932 and 1933.
1st October 1938: Adolf Hitler is greeted with the Nazi salute as he heads a convoy through Sudetenland, which had become part of the Third Reich after the Munich Pact.High death tolls from the 1918 influenza pandemic likely helped the Nazis gain power in "crucial" German elections, according to new research.
While the Nazis benefited from the aftermath of the outbreak, extreme left parties, such as the Communist Party, saw their vote share decrease where the pandemic had caused more deaths. "Moreover, given the virus' perceived foreign origins, it may have fostered a resentment of foreigners who were seen as responsible for the pandemic," he added.
It was also noted that the link between influenza mortality and extremist voting was unique to the pandemic — higher mortality rates from more common illnesses like tuberculosis did not drive a similar trend. "Clearly, austerity has an influence on extremism even in the face of the influenza pandemic," the report said. "However, it is also evident that changes in regional spending are not the only channel through which influenza mortality affects voting behaviour."
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