" (Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany) At five billion marks, interest on the national debt was larger than the budget had been in 1913. As the gap between receipts and expenditures continued to grow in 1919, the policy of reckless borrowing, inflation, and currency devaluation continued as well. "In reality, the postwar years were almost as bad as the war itself, as far as living conditions for civilians went. People in towns lived on starvation ratios, although country people usually had eggs and butter, bread and meat for which they charged high prices." (Grey, Ronald. Hitler and the Germans) Between 1922 and 1923, hyperinflation set in. The value of the German mark fell from $600 per mark to $.01 per mark. "By 1923, wages were paid in millions of marks, and it was necessary to pay millions for quite ordinary things." (Grey, Ronald. Hitler and the Germans) The government had betrayed its people once again and lost what little trust and faith the middle class had in the democrati
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