Soldiers' Funerals Increase Nationalism: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Turkey

Abstract

Soldiers’ funerals are powerful symbols of sacrifice with ambiguous effects: funerals may leave voters weary of conflict or, alternatively, galvanized to defend their national pride and homeland. Which force dominates shapes elected leaders’ incentives to de-escalate or fight. Selection bias makes it hard to estimate the effects of these funerals: nationalistic constituencies often send more soldiers to the frontline. We provide causal evidence from Turkey, leveraging as-if random variation in which districts host state-organized funerals. We show that these funerals increase militarism, antipathy toward Kurdish integration, and nationalist political violence, which, taken together, suggest a rightward shift, rather than a non-ideological ``rally around the flag.’’ By analyzing multiple measures, we can properly interpret electoral outcomes and help reconcile past findings.