Jewish Goblins? (was: Re: Death Eaters)

[martha]

No: HPFGUIDX 81433

Nemi said:

><snipped> Because of World War one Germany had to pay huuuuuge depts 
>to france and several other countries.  /Money they didn't have./  
>So when Hitler got into power he started printing huge sums of 
>money, it drove the vaule down, but the fines were phrased 
>as "______ marks." not "Equivlent to _____ franks" or "Equivlent to 
>______ pounds of gold."
> 
> And a Mark is a Mark, even if it's worth less than a single lire.
> 
> Needless to say this made Hitler very popular. <more snippage>

This probably counts as OT so I'll try and keep this post short, but 
I feel I should point out a couple of errors here: hyperinflation 
took place under the Weimar government, *before* the Nazis came to 
power. And the extra banknotes were printed not for the purpose of 
paying off reparations to other European countries, but in order that 
there were enough banknotes in everyday circulation that wages could 
be paid and so on. This did lead to the value of the Mark decreasing 
very rapidly, to the point that many workers took their wages home in 
wheelbarrows, but couldn't buy a loaf of bread with them. After the 
Nazi seizure of power in 1933 that particular system of currency was 
abolished completely. Many historians argue that one of the things 
that made Hitler/the Nazi party very popular was that the economy was 
built up again and became very strong and unemployment was, at the 
height of Nazi power, virtually unheard of. (You were right about the 
drumming-up of antisemitism though.)

I've just read back ove what I've said and it comes across as being 
rather bitchy - it's not meant to sound like that, but I feel it's 
important to get facts right on this sort of thing. (Well, that and 
that fact that I got a D at history A-Level and the module on the 
Weimar government and Nazi rise to power is the only bit I learned 
properly. *grins*)

I hope that's helpful, anyway,

~ Martha

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