es of financial events which unfolded in the years 1921 though 1923 that would propel the Nazis to new heights of daring and would even prompt Hitler into attempting to take over Germany. In April of 1921, the victorious European Allies of World War One, notably France and England, presented a bill to Germany demanding payment for damages caused in the war which Germany had started. This bill (thirty-three billion dollars) for war reparations had the immediate effect of ruinous inflation in Germany. The German c!
             urrency, the mark, slipped drastically in value. It had been four marks to the U.S. dollar until the war reparations were announced. Then it became seventy-five to the dollar and in 1922 sank to 400 to the dollar. The German government asked for a postponement of payments. The French refused. The Germans defied them by defaulting on their payments. In response to this, in January 1923, the French Army occupied the industrial part of Germany known as the Ruhr. The German mark fell to 18,000 to the dollar. By July 1923, it sank to 160,000. By August, 1,000,000 and by November 1923, it took 4,000,000,000 marks to obtain a dollar.* Germans lost their life savings. Salaries were paid in worthless money. Groceries cost billions. Hunger riots broke out. Bitter resentment and unrest spread amongst the people, they were stuck paying for the government's mistakes. Soon after, Adolph Hitler came into German power. Hitler is one of the most notorious dictators of history. In the beg!
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