Annotated Bibliography: Germanys Hyperinflation 1919-1923 (Research Paper Sample)

          ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: GERMANY’S HYPERINFLATION 1919-1923             Name Institution Date               Introduction Germany’s hyperinflation (1919-1923) was a period of uncontrollable inflation of the Germany currency following the country’s efforts to pay reparation costs imposed by the Allies during the Treaty of Versailles. Given that its economy was in shambles having plundered much of its resources to finance the war, the Weimar government resorted to printing paper money, which it used to buy foreign currency to pay the reparation debt. As a result, the oversupply of bank notes against scarcity of commodities rendered the currency worthless, culminating in the hyperinflation crisis. This paper provides an annotated bibliography of published literature examining the causes and consequences of Germany’s hyperinflation.  Balderston, Theo. Economics and Politics in the Weimar Republic. London: Cambridge University Press, 2002. This source views the hyperinflation as part of the Allies’ continued cold war efforts against the Weimar republic, for the purpose of weakening Germany economically and prevents it from waging a retaliatory war. This source is useful for the research as it provides a broad perspective for understanding the external forces that fueled inflation. Evans, Richard. The Coming of the Third Reich. Penguin Press, 2003. This source pins Germany’s hyperinflation on its inability to male reparations payments without crippling its economy. In particular, it exposes the lack of economic wisdom on the part of the Weimar Republic leaders, who sanctioned the printing of money without the economic resources to support currency circulation. This source will inform the research by explaining how the seizure of Germany’s coals resources by the French worsened the inflation crisis. Ferguson, Adam. When Money Dies: The Nightmare of the Weimar Collapse. London: William Kimber, 1975. This source is useful as a starting point in understanding the genesis of Germany’s economic trouble. It recounts efforts of the Weimar republic to finance the war by borrowing, and later to repay the debt through mass printing of paper money. In this regard, it explains the hyperinflation as a consequence of poor political and economic decisions. Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Germany: Om Books International, 2000. This is an autobiographical work that details Adolf Hitler’s exploitation of the economic crisis to rise into power. This source is useful for the research as it highlights the political consequence of the hyperinflation, specifically providing the Nazis with the propaganda to attack the Weimar Republic. Jung, Alexander. Millions, Billions, Trillions: Germany in the Era of Hyperinflation. Spiegel Online. 2009. /international/germany/millions-billions-trillions-germany-in-the-era-of-hyperinflation-a-641758.html Jung Alexander provides firsthand information about the degeneration of the Germany economy. The author recounts the tales of the Spanish reporter Eugeni Xammar, who was dispatched to Berlin by the Barcelona daily La Veu de Catalunya to cover the country’s economic crisis. This source captures the reality of the time by noting how prices changed every day, and people lived in constant fear. This fear could play into the hands of the Nazis who blamed the Weimar republic for the hyperinflation. In this regard, this source provides a good context for understanding the political consequences of the economic crisis. McBligott, Anthony. Rethinking the Weimar Republic: Authority and Authoritarianism, 1916-1936. Ireland: A&C Black, 2013. This source takes a different perspective by viewing the Germany hyperinflation as a consequence of external forces. It quotes the British economist John Keynes who viewed the inflation as a result of the Allies’ scheme to “squeeze Germany until one could hear the pips squeak” (McBligott 72). In this light, it considers Germany a victim of unfair reparations terms that imposed an unaffordable financial burden on her.  Randall, Cumming. Germany's Hyperinflation-phobia.” The Economist. Nov 15, 2013. /blogs/freeexchange/2013/11/economic-history-1 This source provides insights into the impact that the hyperinflation crisis had on Germany’s economic policies. It provides a historical perspective for understanding how Germany made the crisis a learning lesson that informs its economic policies today, such as its fear of letting inflation get out of hand. Shapiro, Max. The penniless billionaires. New York: Times Books, 1980. This source views the inflation as an unstoppable event set in motion by the Weimar Republic. The author argues that the decision to print paper money to buy foreign currency created a situation whereby the Germany mark gradually lost its value in the international markets, necessitating the need to print more marks- and the more the marks were printed, the more worthless they became…until it required over 4 trillion marks to exchange for a dollar, compared to just 4 marks before the war. Storer, Colin. A Short History of the Weimar Republic. London: SAGE, 2015. Storer advances the argument presented by McBliggot by portraying Germany’s woes as a result of uncontro...