As the culprit of the Second World War, Hitler's own experience and story have also been widely circulated by later generations. Some believe that Hitler was the embodiment of the devil who almost single-handedly changed the course of world history.
However, real history is not like this, and if you carefully study the history before World War II, you will find that Hitler was purely an accident of history, and he was just a person who happened to stand on the cusp of history. There are two other people who are gathering strength to start this superstorm.
Behind Hitler's devil stood two giants, one was Johannes Zeckert, who kept the German army from defeat and developed it into a division of steel. The other was the economic genius who used the magic of economics to transform Germany from a poor and weak defeated country into a rich and powerful country: Armar Schacht.
The economic base determines the superstructure, and no matter what kind of ambitions the Führer has, no matter how invincible and majestic the marshal is, without money, everything is empty talk. Therefore, it is precisely because of the emergence of Almar Schacht that Germany has the confidence and capital to become an enemy of the whole world.
World War I ended with the defeat of Germany, and later the Entente and Central Powers signed the famous Treaty of Versailles. It should be added here that China did not sign this treaty, but signed a separate treaty with Germany, and the United States did not sign it because of domestic opposition.
The Treaty of Versailles was very harsh for Germany, as the Entente not only forced Germany to give up all its overseas colonies, but also abolished its own army and divided up Germany's resources. And also proposed war reparations that Germany would almost never be able to pay off. This also laid the hidden danger for the subsequent rise of the Nazis.
After the First World War, Germany's economy almost collapsed under such a harsh environment, but just a dozen years later, it miraculously rose to become a world economic power, and this miracle was because of one person: Armar Schacht.
Schacht is one of the most outstanding economists in the history of the world, and two of the most outstanding Western economists in the twentieth century have reached the pinnacle of economics, in addition to Schacht, the other is Keynes, the founder of modern Western economics.
The Yarma family is a well-known financial family in Europe, and Shaht has shown extraordinary talent in finance and economics since childhood, and this person is very talented, and it is said that he has an IQ of 143.
His family and himself had close ties with Wall Street in the United States, which also paved the way for his later economic policies.
Post-World War I Germany was overwhelmed by the Treaty of Versailles, and inflation in Germany was jaw-dropping.
At the critical moment, Weimar appointed Schacht as president of the bank and head of the currency bureau, and later promoted him to minister of the German economy, taking over the mess of the German economy.
Schacht was given the opportunity to show his skills, and he was determined to pull Germany out of the abyss of disaster.
Schacht was a strong opponent of the Versailles Treaty, despite his inability to change reality. He knew very well that the root cause of Germany's deteriorating situation was the heavy war reparations. If this problem is not fundamentally solved, then Germany will not only not be able to get better, but may also trigger a huge crisis.
By the way, it was not the economists of the Entente who pushed the Treaty of Versailles to treat Germany under such harsh conditions, but the politicians of the bandit mentality.
The chief negotiator of the British Treasury was unequivocally opposed to the predatory punishment of Germany, which would lead to even greater disasters in the future. That man was John Maynard KeynesBut in the end, he couldn't change the course of things, and the terrible thing is that a few years later, the crises predicted by Keynes turned out to be a reality.
After Schacht came to power, he adopted an active monetary policy, printing new marks to replace the old ones, which had depreciated to the bottomless abyss. In just over a month, the inflation that had been raging for three years was contained.
But this is only a delaying tactic, and if we want to fundamentally change the decadent situation of the German economy, we still have to solve the problem of heavy reparations and financial **.
In 1923, Schacht began to take active action, on the one hand, he lobbied between Britain and France, and cried out in front of them, stating that the German domestic economy was on the verge of collapse, that there was no food to eat, and that if you continued to collect debts every day, the common people would rebel.
In case this ** is overthrown, then you don't want to take back a penny, so please raise your noble hand and slow down, and the other is to return the Ruhr area to Germany, let the Germans run it themselves. Not only does the Ruhr area not make money in your hands, but now you have to stick it upside down?
This is also true, the Ruhr area was the heart of German industry, which the British had coveted for a long time, but when they and Belgium sent troops to occupy it, they adopted a predatory development policy and imposed a high-pressure policy on German enterprises and workers, so that the strikes continued and the efficiency dropped sharply.
Later, in order to maintain the operation of the Ruhr area, the British had to maintain huge military expenses on the one hand, and on the other hand, they had to allocate funds from home to pay the wages of German workers, which outweighed the losses.
Schacht's question of deferring reparations made Britain and France and other countries tempted, they were well aware of the situation in Germany, and Keynes's warning was still in their ears, if Germany really collapsed, their money would really not be returned.
In addition to delaying the pressure of reparations, Schacht's other important task is to find money, and there must be enough start-up capital to revive the German economy.
This time, he took aim at Wall Street, where the United States became a rising star in the world after World War I, with extremely rapid economic growth. Britain and the United States are competing for the position of world hegemon, and the core of the hegemony struggle is the status of the world currency.
Until then, the pound has firmly established itself as the world's largest reserve currency, while the dollar is constantly improving its position. The monetary system at that time was different from today, and the currency was pegged to **.
An important reference for how much banknote a country prints is that the currency can be directly convertible, and if the country's reserves are too small, then the issued currency will have low credit in the international market and will not be recognized by other countries.
At that time, the United States already had the largest ** reserves in the world, and there was a strong desire to replace the pound sterling.
The British were naturally unwilling to decline, but they did not have so many **, so they put forward a new idea "gold exchange".
That is, the currencies of European countries are pegged to the pound sterling, and the pound is pegged to the pound, which is equivalent to turning the reserves of various countries into the reserves of a currency of the pound sterling, and the pound can firmly occupy the position of the world's reserve currency.
However, there must be a prerequisite for the realization of this plan, that is, it must be supported by strong national strength, and whoever dares to disobey will be attacked, but Britain at that time no longer had this strength.
The most opposed to the "gold exchange" is the United States, if Europe is forcibly unified by the pound, then the dollar will not be able to compete with it, and it will have to hold a large number of pounds.
Because the center of gravity of the world economy was in Western Europe at that time, and Asia, Africa, and Latin America were all weak, the Americans had to participate in European affairs.
In order to compete with the British for the status of the world's currency, the Americans also came up with another concept accordingly, that is, the "gold standard". That is, let the currencies of various countries be directly linked to **, so that everyone is equivalent to using ** to trade directly. This kind of rule is fairer, the circulation of currencies in various countries is more free, and the most important thing is security, after all, ** is the real hard currency.
This method of exchange seems to be fair and free, but it is actually the most beneficial to the US dollar, because the United States has sufficient reserves, so that only the US dollar in the international market can have enough to guarantee enough currency.
Schacht saw the currency war between Britain and the United States so well that he began a dazzling operation.
First of all, to bring large American investment into Germany is actually creating an excellent opportunity for Americans to meddle in European affairs. Of course, Americans are not stupid, and if they do not have a good enough return, how can they invest in vain.
However, the target of this investment is Germany, a country with an extraordinary industrial system and strength. Even before the First World War, Germany had built a complete industrial system and had the world's largest manufacturing and R&D capabilities.
Despite the defeat, the country's industrial system was not destroyed, and they had a large number of experienced and skilled workers, which no one else could match.
Therefore, as long as Germany is given enough time and money, they will soon be able to make a comeback, which is hard power.
It's just that Schacht wants to convince not the White House, but Wall Street. In December 1923, the American banker Dawes led a delegation to Germany, which also included members of Britain, France and other European countries.
In 1924, the Americans put forward the famous "Dawes Plan".
This plan has three main contents in a nutshell: First, the Entente countries will provide loans to Germany to help Germany develop its industries, and of course the loans will be mainly provided by the United StatesSecondly, to alleviate the pressure of Germany's reparations, the method of installment payment and increasing year by year is adopted, which is equivalent to installment payment;In the end, Britain and Belgium withdrew from the Ruhr area, returning it to Germany.
As soon as the "Dawes Plan" came out, it relieved the pressure of German reparations, obtained loans and investments, and asked the Ruhr area back, killing three birds with one stone. For this reason, Shacht is also known as the "financial wizard".
Beginning in 1924, the German economy bottomed out, and a round of rapid growth began. Wall Street began to pour in large amounts of loans and investments into Germany, stimulating the rapid operation of German industry.
It was then that the unemployment rate in Germany fell to a rare zero, and even labor had to be imported from abroad.
The Germans borrowed from the United States at high interest rates, and the Americans profited enormously, and the two countries entered a honeymoon period.
As for the reparations, Schacht believed that the Treaty of Versailles was an unequal treaty and that he had not intended to pay it in full. The Americans were also very cooperative, and later canceled 90% of Germany's war reparations with the United States, because they had already earned back the interest on the loan and the return on their investment.
Although the German economy opened the resurrection mode, in 1928, Germany suddenly declared bankruptcy, directly saying to Britain and France and other countries that it was bankrupt, there was no money, and the compensation was not given to ......
From 1924 to 1929, Germany paid a total of 11 billion gold marks in reparations, but received 32.6 billion gold marks in loans and investments, which was actually a huge profit.
Another fact is that Germany has developed well and made a lot of money after receiving funds. Part of this money was left to Germany, and part of it was repaid by the United States, which was actually equivalent to giving the United States war reparations to Europe.
Germany also uses US dollars when paying reparations, and for European countries, giving US dollars is equivalent to giving **, which is certainly acceptable. Only Britain was not happy, but it could only accept it, and the Germans were also very direct: only dollars, love or not, don't pull down!
If history could continue at this pace, Germany and the United States would become two economic powers in the 20th century, side by side. However, in 1929, the famous economic crisis broke out, and the history of the "Great Depression" hit all countries in the world greatly.
As a result, the "Dawes Plan" could not be implemented, and Germany adopted a "Younger Plan".
We will not elaborate on this "Younger plan", but we only know two points, one is that Schacht is strongly opposed;The second is that it has brought great disasters to Germany.
It was precisely because of the "Younger Plan" that Schacht resigned in anger and left **.
But then he met another man who changed his fate and that of Germany, whom he regarded as his confidant and as a great assistant: Adolf Hitler, who brought great disaster to the whole world.
In 1933, the mustachioed Hitler came to power, Schacht returned to the office of the Minister of Economy, and the German economy would be revitalized again under his command.
Schacht is not an ordinary economist, he is the kind of top genius, he has an extremely deep knowledge and understanding of the laws of economic operation, and he has almost figured out the laws of economic operation.
Therefore, he can find the crux of the problem in an extremely difficult situation, prescribe the right medicine, and cure the disease, so that a person can be called a master. It's not like those nerds.
Schacht noted the Soviet model of a planned economy, in which the state intervened directly in the economy, making plans and forcibly boosting the economy. This is perverse in a capitalist society that claims to be free.
But Schacht did just that, and he was not the only one who did it, but also their old friend the United States.
Germany, like the United States, began to directly intervene in the economy from 1933, setting clear planning goals, investing heavily in the construction of public facilities, printing a large amount of money, devaluing the currency, raising the income of the population, and at the same time forcibly suppressing prices.
In addition, it also issued public bonds and vigorously implemented the cartel market protection organization, which was Germany's "new economic plan", in fact, Hitler knew nothing about the economy, he was a political fanatic, he had an extreme desire for power, and was full of hatred for Jews, and the economic aspect was all the credit of Schacht.
StillGermany did not have ** reserves at that time, and Schacht had to print a large number of money, but after all, he was a master of the masters, and in just a few years, Germany issued more than 230 currencies.
The purpose of this is to make a time difference and control the circulation of money, the total amount of money is large, but there are not many of each, it takes time for it to circulate, and the feedback of inflation is prolonged.
Then, through strong means to curb prices, so that the money in the hands of the German people can buy enough daily necessities.
At the same time, Schacht squeezed the value of the German industrial system to the fullest, and they negotiated with poor countries in Asia and Africa to barter.
This is done by importing raw materials for industrial production from Asian and African countries, but without giving money. After the industrial products are produced, the products are used to offset the cost of imported raw materials. It worked, and the machines in the German factory started immediately.
To illustrate a simple example, Germany imports 50 tons of raw materials from Asian and African countries, produces 40 tons of products, returns 20 tons of products to Asian and African countries to deduct raw materials, and exports the remaining 20 tons to advanced countries such as Europe and the United States to earn foreign exchange.
After the foreign exchange is earned, it will be used to offset the over-issued currency in China, and gradually offset the inflation caused by the over-issuance of currency.
Germany also has a particularly lucrative business, the military industry. Germany's world's top is in short supply in the world, and it has also become their most profitable business.
I have to say that the German guns are really good, and Chiang Kai-shek's most elite troops are the "German Mechanic Division", and 98k, barge guns, Krupp cannons, etc. were imported into China in large quantities.
However, Germany not only carried out goods with China, but also received money from China, not that we had more dollars in foreign exchange, but that China used silver dollars at that time, which was genuine. Therefore, we often encounter the saying of "a large number of ** outflows".
Since Schacht and the mustache are confidants, he also hates the Jews very much, and uses the power of the state to loot the Jewish consortium and force them to give up market share, which later developed into a naked **. Of course, this is not what he advocates, his goal is to control the economy.
Then Schacht went to the United States and told Roosevelt that he wanted to buy American military products, which was undoubtedly a great drought for the United States, and Roosevelt quickly approved this procurement plan.
And thenSchacht took the order approved by the White House to go to Wall Street for a loan, and then used the money to buy American products, another beautiful empty glove white wolf.
But sooner or later, the loan will have to be repaid!Pay back?Oh, let's go to Hitler!
Seeing that the Germans were looking for Americans to buy arms every day, this was a huge profit, and European countries such as Britain, France, Belgium and other European countries could not sit still, and they followed suit and gave loans to Germany and sold them **.
At the same time, the war maniac Hitler used Schacht's hard-earned money to military construction, and Germany became a country that existed for the manufacture of **.
It is extremely ironic that Germany, a war monster, cannot be trained by its own strength, and it is precisely the joint efforts of Europe and the United States and other countries to build it.
In 1936, the arrogant Hitler formulated a four-year plan, and when Schacht saw this plan, he suddenly understood that Hitler's goal was not to build a rich and powerful Germany, but his ambition was to conquer the whole world by force.
He was resolutely opposed to the war, and his battlefield was always only on the economic level, so he parted ways with Hitler on the eve of the outbreak of the Great War, resigned and left**.
At the end of World War II, Schacht underwent two trials, but was eventually acquitted, and later returned to his old job as a banker and became a wealthy man.
Schacht also has another wonderful operation, the famous "Plum Ticket", which will not be carried out here.
The story of Yamal Shacht is very exciting, and those who are interested can learn more about his story, which will help to understand the real history of World War I and World War II.