Work

Did Industrialization increase support for the radical left? Evidence from the 1917 Russian revolution

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We analyze the 1917 Constituent Assembly election – the only universal election in Russia before the 1990s – to estimate the effect of industrialization on the radicalization of the electorate in a late industrializing economy. Our empirical strategy exploits IV estimation based on the presence of Carboniferous strata and other initial conditions of industrialization. We find that a larger share of industrial workers increases voting for the radical left, and the effect is stronger in places that exhibited more pronounced features of late industrialization. We also show that industrialization increases electoral polarization rather than simply shifting the electorate to the left.

Source: Journal of Comparative Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2025.07.001

Authors: Paul Castañeda Dower, Andrei Markevich

Institutions: New Economic School, University of Helsinki, Centre for Economic Policy Research

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,510

OpenAlex ID: W4413521476

FWCI:

Cites: 71

Cited by: 4

Related to: 10