Due to the obstruction and sabotage of the French Great Right Pai government, the Re-N Asian Conference, which could have saved the Weimar Republic, ended up being the last straw that crushed the Weimar Republic. Before the conference, one dollar could be exchanged for 320 marks, which had depreciated by more than 90 percent compared to November 1918, but was far from terrible compared to the inflation that followed.

After the results of the Re-N Asian Conference were announced, and gradually exerted its power, the value of the mark began to collapse rapidly. And the Weimar Republic, because of the continuous collapse of the currency, fell into a deeper abyss.

By the end of 1922, the government of the Weimar Republic was unable to deliver the "production collateral" required by the Entente because of the collapse of the currency - but the Weimar government had really done its best to get the job done! In accordance with a memorandum issued by the French Government on 2 January 1923, the Commission requested that Germany deliver a total of 13.86 million tons of coal to France and Luxembourg during the first 11 months of 1922, while Germany actually delivered only 11.7 million tons......

In the face of the collapse of the currency, the Weimar government has completed nearly 90% of the delivery task, and it is obviously unfair to describe this superinflation as a means of defaulting.

However, despite British opposition, the French and Belgian governments sent troops to occupy Essen, the center of the Ruhr coal region, then Bochum and Dortmund, and finally almost the entire Ruhr coal area!

Since the Ruhr area was located in the demilitarized zone of the Rhine, there was no German regular army to defend it, and a small number of German police could not resist the fierce regular army, so they had to be disarmed.

And the German Chancellor, Vilheim of the Catholic Center Party. Gounod (who was more powerful than the historic Honorary Officers' Corps of Honourable meddled in politics and forced the Democrats to withdraw from the cabinet after the Renaya Conference, thus forming a coalition of the SPD and the Centre) had to put up passive resistance. Declaring no cooperation with the French and Belgian occupation authorities, recalling the ambassador to Paris and the minister to Brussels, and ceasing all reparations to France and Belgium. The miners and railway workers of the occupied territories went on strike or sabotage, and all rail and water transport from Germany to France and Belgium was paralyzed!

But the price paid for this passive resistance is also quite heavy!

……

"Two cups of coffee, how much?"

"Sixteen thousand marks."

"Okay, this is 20,000, no need to look for it."

"Wait a minute, I'll pay ten thousand marks......"

One day in mid-May 1923, Hersmann was chatting with Gustav Brown in a small café in the center of Essen in the Ruhr area. Krupp drinks coffee together. I didn't dare to let Krupp have a treat, but AA system - that's 10,000 marks of coffee, and it would be a violation of the discipline of the Wehrmacht to let Krupp have a treat......

However, he dug into his pockets for a long time, and was disappointed to find that he didn't have so many marks on him! Because when he left Berlin and came to Essen, 10,000 marks could still have a good meal at the Kaiserhof Hotel for another night, so he only brought 500,000 marks in cash, but he didn't expect to spend it now.

The waiter looked at Krupp and Hersmann with contempt: "I don't have money to drink any coffee!"

"I'm sorry," Hersman smiled apologetically, then pulled a gold coin out of the inside pocket of his suit. "Can I pay my bill in pounds?"

"Pounds! Golden Pounds! The waiter shuddered and took the precious gold pound and ran to the bar. Boss! I received a golden pound! Hurry up and find the money! ”

Krupp looked around weakly, and when he saw that there were no other guests, he lowered his voice and said to Hersmann: "You still have pounds?" ”

Hersman said: "Chloe asked me to bring it, and she was afraid that the mark would fall too quickly and that I would not have enough money to spend, so she asked me to bring 20 pounds. ”

"20 pounds! Oh my God, be careful when you go out later, don't let anyone rob you! ”

20 pounds is now a lot of money! Even if it's 1 pound, it's amazing enough to change it to a mark. The waiter who had rushed away soon returned with a middle-aged man in a suit who looked like a boss.

Two cups of freshly brewed coffee lay on a tray in the waiter's hand. And a tray in the boss's hand was full of money, which was respectfully placed in front of Hersman: "Sir, this is 1.99 million marks looking for you." ”

"What a disaster!" Looking at the pile of money in front of Hersmann, Gustav. Krupp just sighed.

"Mr. Krupp, I already know the situation in the Ruhr area...... Hersmann took a sip of his coffee and considered his words, "if this continues, Germany will be destroyed, and a way must be found to save Germany!" ”

Gustav. Krupp nodded approvingly, looking at Hersmann expectantly.

This time, Hersmann went to the Ruhr area in the name of a special envoy of the General Staff, and did not go to the Franco-Belgian control authorities, nor to the officials of the Weimar Republic in the Ruhr area, but directly to Gustav. Krupp. It was said that he wanted to secretly investigate the losses of the Ruhr area in the passive resistance, but Gustav . Krupp only accompanied him around the Ruhr area before Hersmann came up with the "solution to save Germany." Apparently the military already had a way!

Hersmann's real purpose was to come to the Ruhr to solicit the opinions of the big industrialists on the "method". If you can get everyone's support, then take action and overthrow President Albert by "legal" means.

"Since the enemy rejects our surrender on monetary policy, liberal economic policy will not be maintained, and will only be subject to wartime control!" Hersmann told Krupp in a very low voice, "Industry must cooperate with us. ”

This means abandoning the complete market economy and partially adopting the method of a planned economy and using the power of the state to intervene in the economy. Only then will the German government be able to issue a new mark without reserves.

"So...... How to solve the problem of compensation? Krupp asked.

"In the case of total economic control, we can pay in kind." "But it's going to be extended for two years, so that we can put the economy in order, and we won't deliver the collateral for production during that time." Then £100 million worth of ships, cars, planes, petroleum products, timber and coal can be delivered every year. ”

"Or do you want to give?"

"Of course," Hersman said, "but also to peg the new mark to the pound." We have to surrender again to the British! But this surrender is actually good for us. ”

"What do you mean?" Gustav. Krupp did not understand Hersmann at all.

Hersman was just about to explain to him more about the principle of the "currency war" when suddenly there was a cacophony of voices outside.

"What's going on out there?" Hersmann put down his coffee cup and picked up a lot of money. Krupp walked out of the café together.

The two saw that on the street outside the café, a group of old people, women and children who were being guarded by French soldiers suddenly appeared. All were tethered to ropes, adults carried packages in their hands, and children carried school bags and their only toys - mostly toy guns. The French soldiers around them were shouting and urging them to move quickly.

On both sides of the street, crowds of onlookers were crowded, many with tears in their eyes, and many more gritted their teeth and clenched their fists.

There was also a tall French officer with a cylindrical military cap, holding a tin horn rolled up in his hand, and shouted loudly in German: "These are the families of German criminals who led the strike against the French government!" According to the decree of the occupation authorities, they will be fined and then expelled. The criminals themselves will be sentenced to imprisonment, and if the circumstances are particularly serious, they will also be sentenced to death! ”

"Ludwig," Krupp whispered in Hesmann's ear in a deep voice, "do you know that more than 200 sons and daughters of Germany have given their lives against the French and Belgians from January to the present?" More than 20,000 people have been deported and imprisoned! ”

At this time, Hersmann discovered that each of the deported German boys had a toy gun in his hand, and the muzzle of the gun was pointed at a French soldier......

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The third is to ask for collections and recommendations