Text | Mr. L
Edit|Laughing Shi Yunyan
Preface
In 1929, a huge financial crisis swept through the entire capitalist society, starting from New York, the financial center of the United States, and erupted like a volcano in Indonesia.
After Hitler's radical reforms, Germany emerged from the shadow of the First World War and emerged from the economic crisis that swept the capitalist countries around the world.
So what did Hitler do to get Germany out of depression in just three years and become the second largest industrial country in the world at that time?
01. The reasons for the rise of the German economy after World War I
On November 11, 1918, with the end of World War I, Germany was forced to accept the terms of surrender of the Entente, and this brutal four-year conflict finally came to an end.
The end of the war did not mean the arrival of peace, and the victorious powers did not forgive Germany's war crimes, so the Allies joined forces to force Germany and its allies to sign the draconian Treaty of Versailles.
The treaty not only required Germany to pay huge military reparations, but also forced Germany to cede large swaths of territory, making its economic situation even worse.
Faced with a heavy economic burden, the newly formed Weimar Republic tried to alleviate the pressure by issuing a large amount of money.
This did not have the desired effect and led to severe inflation.
By the beginning of 1924, the value of a dollar was as high as 4 trillion marks, which shows how serious the currency depreciation was.
Against this backdrop, the German economy was plunged into an unprecedented panic as workers had to load their cars with cash to receive their wages and necessities.
Germany's industrial development after the defeat was also hit hard, and the encroachment of countries such as France and Italy on its Ruhr industrial area further undermined Germany's economic base.
Under this series of blows, the social situation in Germany continued to deteriorate, until 1933, when the appearance of a man named Adolf Hitler completely changed the fate of Germany.
Hitler, the young man quickly won the hearts and minds of the people with his impassioned speeches.
His speech, full of criticism of the current state of Germany and his promise for a better future, succeeded in attracting a large number of supporters.
Eventually, Hitler succeeded in becoming the leader of Germany.
Amazingly, Hitler did deliver on his promise! In just three years, Germany under his leadership achieved economic recovery and prosperity.
So, what measures did Hitler take to bring the German economy back from the dead?
02. Where does the money come from?
In 1939, Adolf Hitler stood on the podium of the Reichstag and issued his prophecy to the world.
He declared that if the forces of international Jewish capital inside and outside Europe led to a new round of large-scale conflict, the result would be the complete extinction of the European Jewish people, not the victory of world communism.
In that era, Jews not only held an important place in German financial circles, but also had notable achievements in various industries.
Not only were they bankers, factory owners, military officers, well-known writers and artists, but they were generally much richer than the average German.
In Berlin, where more than half of the doctors are Jewish, and in Frankfurt, where 64 percent of the lawyers are Jewish, Jews living in the midst of growing anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe have become obvious targets for attack.
In 1938, the two sides negotiated an orderly evacuation of the Jews, from which they received a deposit of 1.5 billion marks.
However, this funding is only the tip of the iceberg.
During World War II, about 6 million Jews were slaughtered, a great catastrophe for the Jewish people in European history.
But it is worth noting that the wealth of the Jews did not really solve Germany's economic problems.
At this critical juncture, some unexpected people appeared - that is, Wall Street capitalists who were mired in the US financial crisis.
In fact, Wall Street's funding of Germany goes back much further.
The Dawes Plan and the Young Plan in the 20s of the last century sent about 138 billion marks of loans to Germany, although the original intention of the United States was not to encourage Germany to start another war, but to try to balance the power of the European continent.
But these funds undoubtedly gave impetus to the development of Germany's military industry to a certain extent.
At the same time, US Congressman McFadden has accused the Fed of sending large quantities of gold to Germany, suggesting that the US government is also involved in funding activities to some extent.
In addition, it was heavily financed by Germany's Junker aristocracy and the undevastated industrial oligarchy of the post-World War I market, whose desire for the market and demand for cheap labor led them to ignore the fact that war was about to be launched.
Germany was required to pay huge reparations after the war, which was an almost impossible task.
At that time, the Mark gold coins contained real gold, and the compensation originally claimed was equivalent to 96,840 tonnes of gold, a figure that exceeded a large part of the total amount of gold mined in the world at the time.
Countries such as Britain and the United States also provided loans to Germany to help its economy gradually recover, and these funds were used by Hitler to develop the military industry and large infrastructure projects, thus creating a large number of jobs.
03. The reasons for the rise of the German economy after World War I
At the beginning of the 20th century, Germany underwent social and economic changes, and although it was under great pressure as a defeated country, it did not sink and gradually emerged from the predicament through a series of internal reforms and innovations.
The German government has adopted a prudent monetary stability policy, which has effectively curbed the trend of inflation.
The government has vigorously promoted the development of industry and manufacturing, and has stimulated the innovation vitality of enterprises by providing R&D funding and encouraging technological cooperation between enterprises.
Many scientific research institutions have been established, such as the Max Planck Institute and the Fraunhofer Society, which have provided strong intellectual support for scientific and technological innovation and industrial development.
At the enterprise level, German companies focus on the research and development of new products and new processes, and constantly improve product quality and market competitiveness.
They also turn technological advantages into commercial advantages through patent applications and technology transfer.
Especially in the field of engineering technology, Germany has reached the world's leading level in many aspects, such as mechanical engineering, automobile manufacturing, aerospace, etc.
At that time, the German currency was severely depreciated, inflation increased, and the economic and social order was destroyed.
In order to alleviate the post-war economic crisis and heavy debt problem, Germany implemented the famous Dodge Plan, which provided Germany with loans and funds to help it rebuild and restore its economy.
The Dodge Plan also introduced new fiscal and monetary policies, stabilized Germany's monetary and financial markets, and improved Germany's international credit and reputation.
Germany also achieved remarkable results in escaping the economic constraints imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, and in 1924, with the signing of the Treaty of Locarno, Germany was able to join the League of Nations and gradually free itself from economic restrictions.
This shift not only created favorable conditions for Germany's economic recovery, but also laid the foundation for subsequent political changes.
04. Life in Germany today
Today, Germany is known for its unique culture and lifestyle.
In this country, people pursue a self-independent attitude to life, they do not compare themselves with others, they do not like to probe into the private lives of others, and they do not like to have their lives disturbed.
This way of life presents German society with an environment of harmony and respect for individual choices.
In Germany, people are not criticized for their marital status or whether they have children, there is no so-called "marriage urging", and there is no such thing as "older leftover women" or "older leftover men".
Everyone is free to choose their own path in life, whether they are single, married, or divorced, and will not be the focus of attention from others.
This tolerant social concept allows everyone to plan for the future according to their own wishes.
Germans are also very unique in their view of their profession, they do not feel anxious about their age, because in Germany, age is not the only measure of a person's ability and worth.
Here, there is no such thing as a "roll king" phenomenon, the workplace competition is relatively peaceful, and Germans are very serious and rigorous in their work, but they do not identify with the overtime culture.
They believe that work is just a part of life and should not affect the quality of life of an individual.
So, in Germany, overtime is seen as a sign of inefficiency, while punctual leaving work is the norm.
Germans take personal privacy very seriously, often communicating sensitive information by phone instead of email to reduce the risk of information leakage.
They also rarely provide personal information such as phone numbers to maintain their privacy.
German lifestyles, professional outlooks, holiday regimes and Xi demonstrate a vibrant and inclusive society where everyone is free to pursue their dreams and enjoy their own lives.