Changes

[[Image:Wheelbarrow money.jpg|right|thumb|A wheelbarrow full of printed currency]]

[[Image:Wheelbarrow money.jpg|right|thumb|A wheelbarrow full of printed currency]]

The German people disapproved even more of their own government. The setting was ripe for a new figure to rise who claimed to have the cure for Germany's economic problems and could restore German [[nationalism]], [[Hitler|Adolf Hitler]].

One reason were the harsh terms of Versailles treaty. Although the terms of the treaty were never fully enforced, the psychological damage was immense, since they were perceived as a grave injustice.  

 

The republic was also struggling with the rejection by monarchist, who were still occupying important position in the state. Many WWI veterans believed that the German forces in WW I were not defeated, but that the social democratic leaders, who founded the Weimar republic to thwart a communist revolution, surrendered to the allies for political gains. It was know is known as the "stab-in-the-back myth", and was used to discredit the republic[1]. In truth Germany had no choice.  They were not allowed to give input, and were only told to sign.

 

The early years were characterized by hyper-inflation, which was caused when the government started printing money since it was low on cash, in part due to reparation payments. The value of the German mark went from 4 to the dollar to over 1 trillion to the dollar at the peak of the inflation in 1923. Although the Weimar Republic enjoyed a time of economic resurgence after the early years of hyper-inflation it failed to gain deep public support. The Weimar Republic was famously called a democracy without democrats.

[[Category:European History]]

[[Category:European History]]