Hedwig Richter – författare

Dictatorships throughout the twentieth century - including Mussolini's Italy, the Third Reich, the Soviet Union, Poland, and East Germany - held elections. But were they more than rituals of participation without the slightest effect on the distribution of power? Why did political regimes radically opposed to liberal democracy feel the need to imitate their enemies? Offering significant insights into totalitarian state governance, "Voting for Hitler and Stalin" thoroughly investigates the remarkable, paradoxical phenomenon of dictatorial elections, revealing the many ways they transcended mere propaganda.

Um die Erfolgsgeschichte und die variierenden Bedeutungen von Wahlen zu verstehen, gilt es, die historische Dimension zu berücksichtigen und mit einem anthropologisch interessierten Blick neue Fragen zu stellen.