Historical downward trends in mortality rates reversed in the early 1930s in Germany. At the district/city level, these increases were positively associated with a rising [NSDAP] vote share. Each increase of 10 deaths per 1000 population was associated with a 6.51-percentage-point increase in [NSDAP] vote share (95% confidence interval = 1.17–11.8). The strongest associations were with deaths due to infectious and communicable diseases, suicides, and alcohol-related deaths.

Worsening mortality had no association with votes for the Communist Party or for other contemporary political parties. Greater welfare payments were associated with smaller increases in both mortality and [NSDAP] vote share, and adjusting for welfare generosity mitigated the association by approximately one-third.

Conclusions

Worsening mortality rates were positively associated with the rise of the [NSDAP] in 1930s Germany. Social security mitigated the association between mortality and [NSDAP] vote share. Our findings add to the growing evidence that population health declines can be a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for the health [under dictatorships of the bourgeoisie].

(I know that this post is awfully more straightforward than the rest, and it is a questionable choice for Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, but to be honest I am feeling so unwell today that I lack the drive to offer something better.)

Further reading: Worsening Health and Voting Patterns in Nazi Germany