Source 1 – A writing remembering the effects of hyperinflation on his father. “ My father had sold his business during the war, together with all his real-estate property he owned, and retired from business. He was, by middle-class standards, a rich man, and intended to live on the income from his investments. These were mainly life-insurance policies, fixed value securities and a mortgage on a large agricultural estate, whose yield of 15,000 marks per annum would have provided a very good income. All this deprecated, of course, to zero- my father only managed to keep his head above water by resuming work.”

Source 2: A worker in a transport firm in Berlin “I vividly remember pay-days at that time. I used to have to accompany the manager to the bank in an open six seater Benz which we filled to the brim with bundles and bundles of million and millard mark notes. We then drove back through the narrow streets quite unmolested. And when they got their wages, the workmen did not even bother to count the number of notes in each bundle.”

Source 3: The memories of a German writer Source 3: The memories of a German writer. “A German landowner bought, on credit, a whole herd of valuable cattle. After a certain time he sold one cow from the herd. Because of the depreciation of the mark, the price he got for it was enough to pay off the whole cost of the herd.”

Source 4 – A factory owner bringing in money to pay his workers Source 4 – A factory owner bringing in money to pay his workers. By the time the last worker was paid, the money would be worth 30% less than the pay of the first worker

Source 5 – German children lining up for soup hand outs Source 5 – German children lining up for soup hand outs. Despite their parents working they cannot afford food.

Source 6: Recollections of life within a middle class family in Berlin Source 6: Recollections of life within a middle class family in Berlin. “ Before the inflation had started, I purchased a house on credit from the bank. I owed the bank 60,000 marks. I was able to buy my house with two days wages during the 1923.”

Source 7: An account of the inflation from a grandmother on a fixed state pension. “My pension was fixed at 76 marks a week. This did not rise during the inflation. I couldn’t even buy one loaf of bread with my weeks pension. I was forced to live off of charity and hand outs from neighbours.”

Source 8: Children playing with worthless banknotes