History does have a way of repeating itself. Many commentators begin their commentary on WW2 from the time Germany invaded Poland. Now, many start the Ukraine story with Russia going in to Ukraine. In both cases we should really backtrack quite a number of years to set the scene.
The seeds of WW2 were sown in and just after WW1. In the middle of WW1 the Allies were starting to doubt that they would win. They were approached by someone who asked if they would like the Americans to join in on their side. The UK government said, Yes please! How could a UK citizen make that promise? What could they want in return?
They wanted Palestine for the Jews - not that it was really for the Brits to give away. As for how could they make it happen, well, the person asking was Lord Rothschild. There followed the Balfour Declaration and the US joined in. Even so, the Germans were hardly pushed back to Berlin and some Germans never really accepted that they had lost. The Kaiser fell and a weak German government ensued.
They agreed to horrendous reparations that Germany was still paying off in the 1980s! They also lost much land to France and Poland. The Germans in Poland were violently persecuted by the Poles (Russian sympathisers in Donbas, anyone?) and Germany eventually intervened.
Right after WW1 there was rampant inflation:
Prices ran out of control, for example a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923. By autumn 1923 it cost more to print a note than the note was worth. During the crisis, workers were often paid twice per day because prices rose so fast their wages were virtually worthless by lunchtime.
Imagine having $100,000 in savings that became worth only $125 by the end of the year.
During that period the global Jewish community delared a business war against Germany. Strangely, that aspect is usually overlooked by modern commentators on the Jewish situation in 30s Germany.
History does have a way of repeating itself. many commentators begin their commentary on WW2 from the time Germany invaded Poland. Now, many start the Ukraine story with Russia going in to Uklraine. In both cases we should really backtrack quite a number of years to set the scene.
The seeds of WW2 were sown in and just after WW1. in the middle of WW1 the Allies were starting to doubt that they would win. They were approached by someone who asked if they would like the Americans to join in on teir side. The UK government said, Yes please! How could a UK citizen make that promise? What could they want in return?
They wanted Palestine for the Jews - not that it was really for the Brits to give away. As for how could they make it happen, well, the person asking was Lord Rothschild. There followed the Balfour Declaration and the US joined in. Even so, the Germans were hardly pushed back to Berlin and some Germans never really accepted that they had lost. The Kaiser fell and a weak German government ensued.
They agreed to horrendous reparations that germany was still paying off in the 1980s! They also lost much land to France and Poland. The Germans in Poland were violently persecuted by the Poles (Russian sympatisers in Donbas, anyone?) and Germany eventually intervened.
Right after WW1 there was rampant inflation:
Prices ran out of control, for example a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923. By autumn 1923 it cost more to print a note than the note was worth. During the crisis, workers were often paid twice per day because prices rose so fast their wages were virtually worthless by lunchtime.
During that period the global Jewish community delared a business war against Germany. Strangely, that aspect is usually overlooked by modern commentators on the Jewish situation in 30s Germany.