Highway to Hitler
| Author | Nico Voigtländer and Hans-Joachim Voth |
|---|---|
| Published | May 2014 |
| Format | Research paper |
| Original | Read the original |
TL;DR — An NBER paper finding that Autobahn construction in Nazi Germany raised support for the regime, because propaganda tied the roads to economic recovery.
NBER Working Paper 20150, first circulated May 2014 and revised January 2021. Using newly collected data on the Autobahn network, the authors show that highway construction increased pro-Nazi voting and helped entrench the dictatorship.
They argue the effect did not come mainly from direct economic benefits such as lower local unemployment; rather, propaganda used the Autobahn as a symbol of competence and the end of austerity. Support rose more where construction coincided with greater radio reception, and the effect was stronger in politically unstable states, suggesting infrastructure can boost autocracies when voters link it to visible progress.
What it is: an empirical economic-history working paper by two well-known economists (not peer-reviewed in this form).
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
- Published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
52 pages. A copy is archived locally against link rot; the header links the original source.