From Democracy to Nazism: A Regional Case Study on Political Parties in Germany

130 pp. "When From Democracy to Nazism was first published, it gained attention for two reasons: it was the first thorough empirical study of the Nazi movement, and the methods used aroused interest among social scientists engaged in the study of elections and political behavior in general. Using the ecological method of analyzing political elections developed by Andre Siegfried, Dr. Heberle analyzed rural Schleswig-Holstein, in the period from 1918 to 1933, to find the factors that had led to a radical change in the political climate of the region. How was it possible that the generally sober-minded and freedom-loving North Germans, who were not at all accustomed to a tradition of authoritarian government, should have voted so overwhelmingly for Hitler and his party and entrusted them with the political future of their country?"