“Stresemann controlling inflation was the main reason behind the success of the Weimar Republic in 1923-1928” Do you agree?

The period 1925-1929 if often considered to be the ‘Golden Years’ of Weimar Germany’s political history. Gustav Stresemann was in power or in positions of influence between 1906 and 1923. During this period Germany gained political power and the economic difficulties started to be overcome. Stresemann helped rebuild Germany after a year of crisis in 1923. There were many different factors Stresemann controlled behind the main reason of success for the Weimar Republic. These included economic problems such as inflation, Dawes Plan and Young Plan, international affairs and Social Reforms. I agree that biggest success of Stresemann was controlling inflation because he was able to stabilise the money in the country and by this happening it created a domino effect for his other successes.

Firstly, Germany faced economic problems. Hyperinflation was a major part of this which is when prices are rising and the value of money is falling. Germany began to suffer inflation during the war but things got further worse after the war when there was a demand of £6,600,000 reparation payments. In 1923 French troops occupied the Ruhr in Germany due to Germany failing to pay an instalment of reparations on time. Workers were told to go on strike and so all workers on strike had to be given financial support. The government responded in printing more and more banknotes resulting in hyperinflation. In November 1923, Stresemann faced a decision of allowing inflation to carry on or creating a new currency. Stresemann scrapped the old worthless money and introduced a new currency called the Rentenmark. 1 Rentenmark was now equivalent to 1 trillion old German marks. To control, he strictly limited the amount of money in circulation which resulted in the value of