Chapter 57: Who is the Führer?
Gustav's ascension to power paved the way for Chang's plan to transform Germany.
It took only a few years for the Socialist Workers' Party to further expand its power and reach its peak.
Newk, which was originally issued as a commemorative coin, completely replaced the original currency mark under Schacht's operation. The land rent marks used during the transitional period were abolished, and the indemnity payments of the Treaty of Versailles became a thing of the past.
So, an interesting phenomenon emerged. Germany still paid the mark reparations to France, and paid off the arrears of reparations for the first time, plus the additional reparations promised by Zhang Chengtian. But the French were not at all happy.
The mark is still the currency that exists, but its exchange rate with the US dollar has reached 1,000,000 to 1. At the same time, the new currency became the second currency in Germany, with an exchange rate of only 1.8 to 1 against the US dollar.
The protests from France were unprecedentedly strong, but only from France. Under the manipulation of Britain and the United States, the League of Nations declared that Germany's reparations were still legal and that France's protests were null and void.
In the shadow of the defeat of the Ruhr, the whole of France could not even make a stronger gesture. The French army, from top to bottom, did not have the determination to defeat Germany.
Of course, there are still actions. The French government approved a bill to speed up the construction of the Maginot Line, adding 50 million enamel funds to the Maginot project.
In contrast to France's actions, the German parliament suspended its move to increase military spending. All efforts should be devoted to strengthening the country's infrastructure.
Under the leadership of the German government, the Weimar Republic introduced the "Gustav New Deal".
The Weimar government's new policy was very simple: through the social worker newspaper, which had become the first newspaper in Germany since the last presidential election, it called on the people to rise up and work for relief. Construction of highways, as well as major public works, began.
The move has virtually eliminated more than 90 percent of the unemployed in Germany, and many workers have even had paid holidays.
The Socialist Workers' Party also seized the opportunity to carry out a large number of propaganda and training activities and activities to help the poor and the needy. He promised that as long as he joined the Socialist Workers' Party and participated in joint action, he would be guaranteed food, in-kind subsidies, and work. Many homeless people even have access to welfare housing.
After having the public opinion support of the largest party in the country, and solving the problem of unemployment. The nascent Weimar government began to popularize welfare benefits, and although it was not very strong, at least it introduced many pragmatic policies.
Of course, to achieve all the above changes, the most inseparable thing is money!
For this reason, the Weimar government has once again tacitly acquiesced in the creation of a new paramilitary organization - the stormtroopers!
Because the members of the stormtroopers all wear brown uniforms, they are also known as the Brown Shirts, or SA for short. In the founding manifesto, members of the SA must swear that they will willingly follow their leaders as an "organization of steel".
Their so-called leader was Hitler, the founder of the SA, the nominal leader of the Socialist Workers' Party. Their chief of staff was Captain Ernst Röhm, a staff officer of the 7th Military Region of the Munich Army.
Although Chang felt that it was dangerous for Zhang to have a force of his own, Chang was determined to take the risk in order to find a scapegoat for the dirty work.
Historically, the SS was a branch of the SA. This time, the SA existed as a branch of the SS.
Thus, this organization, which existed on the dark side of the republic, began to "serve Goethe with beer cans and chair legs." ”
Night after night, a group of members in brown uniforms broke into the estates of major Jewish merchants, plundered gold, silver and jewelry, and even killed people.
Within a few years, numerous Jewish merchants were robbed of their long-saved family property. At that time, the Childe consortium, which was once dominant in Germany, declared bankruptcy and dissolution.
Of course, the Weimar government also allowed Jewish merchants to leave Germany, but only on the premise that they would leave!
Many Jewish magnates, reluctant to make the fortunes they had looted from Germany over the years, were afraid to stay in this dangerous area.
The Scrooge turned out to be one after another, systematically purged by the stormtroopers.
Over the course of three years, the SA collected more than 6 billion new grams of money for the government of the Republic.
Surprisingly, most of the people in the country did not care about what happened to these businessmen. They were already disillusioned with the government of the Weimar Republic, which had done nothing after the First World War and could not guarantee even basic unemployment benefits. If the new government can bring them a stable life, why oppose the government's measures?
The panicked Jewish businessmen even turned to President Gustav, who had been repressed, for help.
As a result, Zhang Chengtian, who had been promoted to lieutenant general of the Wehrmacht, received the task of protecting the property of the Jewish chaebol.
Zhang Chengtian did it, and the property of the merchants was safely put into the treasury and was in absolute security!
Eventually, the SS, a civil organization, announced that it would provide protection for all merchants in the country, both in terms of property and life. The premise is that the merchant needs to pay eighty percent of his entire property.
Business-savvy businessmen chose this robber-like protection. At the very least, they can keep themselves safe while leaving 20 percent of their possessions.
The largest collection of protection fees in the history of Germany has been carried out extremely smoothly.
The SS did ensure the safety of the merchants. All businessmen who pay protection money are fully protected. There were even SS soldiers who stood guard for them at different times.
These SS soldiers in black uniforms were photographed at a handsome angle by reporters from the Workers' and Peasants' Daily. As a positive propaganda for the SS to defend the safety of Jewish merchants, it was printed at the end of every newspaper.
In less than 2 months of propaganda, almost all the remaining Jewish businessmen, handed over "protection money" to the SS.
For this reason, the contradiction between Zhang Chengtian and Hitler has become deeper and deeper.
Hitler was radical in his belief that the Jewish merchants should be exterminated and squeezed of every penny of their property. And Zhang Chengtian, as a time-traveler in later generations, is naturally very resistant to this barbaric way.
Although Zhang Chengtian also knew and experienced the shameless methods of the Jewish consortium. But in essence, he has a tolerant and generous oriental soul educated in benevolence and righteousness.
To put it another way, Chang's SS protected all the remaining Jewish merchants, which meant that Hitler's SA would no longer be able to do anything.
The actions of the two have been placed on opposite sides. And Hitler has long understood that Zhang Chengtian is by no means the kind of person who is willing to let himself be manipulated.
Some time ago, in order to distinguish himself from him, the party leader, Zhang Chengtian also gave himself the title of Fuhrer.
To tell the truth, Hitler liked the title Führer very much, provided that it belonged to him!
After repeated thinking, Hitler finally came to a conclusion that Zhang Chengtian's position, he Hitler was fully capable of sitting on it. Since Zhang Chengtian is unwilling to let it out himself, it is no wonder that he Hitler snatched it with his hands!