Persecution Perpetuated: The Medieval Origins of Anti-Semitic Violence in Nazi Germany*

TLDR

During the Black Death (1348–50), Jews were frequently blamed for the widespread mortality. The study examines how persistent anti‑Semitic cultural traits are across centuries. The authors use plague‑era pogroms as a historical indicator of medieval anti‑Semitism. Local anti‑Semitic attitudes persisted for six centuries, reliably forecasting 1920s Jewish violence, Nazi electoral support, post‑1933 deportations, synagogue attacks, and antisemitic propaganda, while lower persistence appeared in trade‑intensive cities and the results were robust to political extremism or violence attitudes.

Abstract

Abstract How persistent are cultural traits? Using data on anti-Semitism in Germany, we find local continuity over 600 years. Jews were often blamed when the Black Death killed at least a third of Europe’s population during 1348–50. We use plague-era pogroms as an indicator for medieval anti-Semitism. They reliably predict violence against Jews in the 1920s, votes for the Nazi Party, deportations after 1933, attacks on synagogues, and letters to Der Stürmer . We also identify areas where persistence was lower: cities with high levels of trade or immigration. Finally, we show that our results are not driven by political extremism or by different attitudes toward violence.