Empire in Progress

Chapter 12: Beer can*

Views:

The Krupp factory is very close. It only takes a few minutes to walk there. Lin Wei took Linda to the newly purchased factory after the war. It mainly produces light industrial products and does not have as much smoke as the original old factory. The factory is very big, and Lin Wei directly acts as the commentator for Linda.

"Now the products of this newly established factory are mainly sold to the Soviet Union, mainly producing bridge construction, chemicals, textiles, plastics, and rubber." Lin Wei had mixed feelings in his heart when he said this.

"Lampard, I believe that these factories will definitely return to their heyday," Linda comforted softly as if she noticed Lin Wei's mood.

"Linda, I'm fine. I also believe that Germany will stand up again," Lin Wei said with certainty.

Later, Lin Wei and the others, perhaps affected by their emotions and lack of interest, returned home early. Lin Wei ate some food in a hurry and returned to his bedroom on the pretext of feeling unwell.

Lin Wei recalled everything from his birth to the present. When he was a child, he went to a military academy. At that time, people had smiles on their faces every day. When the country was mentioned, people were always proud to talk about the benefits of the German Empire. I went to school in Berlin for four years. During these four years, the Second German Empire, which had choked the British Empire and made France tremble, collapsed. Then the Kaiser bid farewell to Essen, the Allies came to demolish the factory, my father was declared a war criminal (he was not imprisoned, as mentioned earlier), the Weimar Republic was established, the workers revolted, and the French occupied the Ruhr area. district... ... .

Although I went to the United States to persuade DuPont, Mellon, Rockefeller, and other big American families to provide loans to Germany. However, during the war, the German government borrowed heavily from the Reichsbank to finance the war, which triggered inflation. After the war, the German government faced high war reparations, public debt, and subsidies for war victims. It could only get out of trouble by increasing currency issuance through the central bank. As a result, Germany's domestic inflation expanded rapidly like a fast horse. According to Walter Frerich's research, the currency in circulation in Germany reached 17 trillion marks in June 1923, an increase of 2,750 times from the 6.3 billion marks in 1914; and the current bonds reached 19 trillion in November 1923. 100 million marks, an increase of 36.3 billion times from the 30 trillion marks in July 1914. Prices in June 1923 were 19,985 times what they were in 1913. Although it is much less than historical inflation, the German people are living in extreme panic. As long as you go to the streets and take a look, you will find disabled soldiers all over the streets. They live on crutches, and some have even lost their legs and are begging on the streets. Compared to the other place they live in, it seems like it can be called paradise.

"What should I do? I can do more." Lin Wei asked himself.

Munich, Germany at this time

In 1923, the number of Nazi Party members grew to more than 30,000, becoming a new and eye-catching political force in Germany. In order to win over the masses and expand his influence, Hitler carried out propaganda under the two banners of "nationalism" and "socialism." Under the banner of nationalism, Hitler seized on the Treaty of Versailles to make a fuss, believing that Germany's disaster originated from the Treaty of Versailles, and called on the German people to rise up and tear up the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles to save the nation from peril. In order to adapt to the new revolutionary situation in Germany, follow the trend and take advantage of the people's revolutionary sentiments, Hitler also claimed that the Nazi Party was engaged in "socialism". From the very beginning, the Nazi Party emerged as a different party from other bourgeois parties, openly and fiercely criticizing capitalism.

At this time, the German mark plummeted and the financial world was in chaos. France and Belgium sent troops to occupy the Ruhr, which aroused the German people's anger and patriotic enthusiasm towards the government.

"I will fulfill the oath I made five years ago when I was temporarily blinded in a military hospital: to work tirelessly and tirelessly until the criminal government is overthrown in November, and until the tragic ruins of Germany are restored today. Build a strong, free and glorious Germany." Hitler's fanatical voice struck the hearts of the National Socialist Party and the Munich crowd present.

"Long live Germany, long live Germany..." the members of the National Socialist Party and the crowd in the audience who had been captured by the demonic voice shouted loudly.

"Either the enemy steps on my corpse, or we step on the enemy's corpse." Under Hitler's superb incitement, the crowd was furious.

Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, was very excited at this time. He has been a professional politician for two years. Even though he is eloquent and coaxes people everywhere, the Nazi Party is still only a slightly influential party among the many parties in Munich and Bavaria. It is different from the big party in his mind that is responsible for the fate of the entire country. There are huge differences between parties. The Ruhr crisis gave the Nazis an excellent opportunity. Due to the collapse of Mark, a large number of middle class people went bankrupt. So Hitler was overjoyed to find that the number of his party began to surge. Of course, unemployed workers and retired soldiers were also the main components of the new party members.

Hitler began to feel "righteous", and the Weimar Republic government was even scolded by him as worthless. He publicly shouted at the party conference: "To seize political power, we must start by fiercely opposing and attacking the Weimar Republican government that was born out of the humiliation of defeat." His views were enthusiastically supported by Goering, Hess, Rosenberg and others. They agreed that the time had come to seize power in Bavaria.

On November 8 of this year, the Berg Braukeller beer hall in Munich was much busier than usual. Governor Karl of Bavaria delivered a speech on the policy agenda here. General Otto von Lossoff, commander of the Wehrmacht in Bavaria, Colonel Hans von Sessel, chief of state police, as well as state government ministers and other senior civil and military officials Attend parties. Hitler believed that the time had come to seize power. He teamed up with Ludendorff, the former chief of the German General Staff, in an attempt to follow Mussolini's example in marching on Rome and using violence to overthrow the Weimar Republic. On November 8, 1923, Hitler and Ludendorff led the stormtroopers and used the Bavarian military and political leaders to launch a coup at a banquet in a beer hall in Munich.

The rally on the evening of November 8th was attended by celebrities from Munich's political and social circles. Hitler occupied an inconspicuous position next to a pillar, together with Max Ammann, Rosenberg, and Ulrich Graf, and no one paid attention to him. Twenty minutes after Carr began speaking, the entire assembly was suddenly and completely interrupted. Göring burst into the hall with twenty-five armed Nazis. Amid the roar, Hitler jumped on a chair, fired a shot at the ceiling, then jumped down and walked to the podium, "The national revolution has begun." He shouted, "This hall has been occupied by six hundred heavily armed men. People are occupied and no one is allowed to leave the hall. The Bavarian and German governments have been overthrown and the Provisional National Government has been established. The army barracks and police station have been occupied, and the army and police are advancing into the city under the Nazi flag." Many in the hall People were outraged at the brazenness of this young upstart who was trying to bully his way into politics, but no one could figure out the extent of Hitler's pure bluff. There were six hundred stormtroopers outside the hall and a machine gun at the gate. In addition, with the assistance of Bonner, the former Munich police chief, Hitler had persuaded Flick, an officer still working in the police station, to call the police officer in the lobby not to intervene, but to just report if anything happened. , asking Goering to maintain order in the hall. Hitler drove Karl, Losov and Sessel into a side room. Meanwhile, Schebner-Richter drove to Ludwigshoe that night to pick up General Ludendorff, because Hitler wanted him to be the figurehead of his revolution.

Hitler was very excited and began a dramatic meeting with Karl and his companions. He told them: "Without my permission, no one can get out of this room alive." He announced that he had organized a new government with Ludendorff (again, this was false, and Ludendorff had no control over what had happened). unknown). They had only one choice: join him. He brandished his pistol and looked slightly deranged. He shouted: "I have four bullets in my pistol. If they won't cooperate with me, I will keep three for them and the last one for myself." He pointed the pistol at his head and shouted: "If I don't succeed by tomorrow afternoon, I won't take this life."

The three men were surprisingly unmoved. They found it difficult to take Hitler's madness fully seriously, despite the guns and armed guards at the windows. Losoff later claimed that he whispered "cheat" to Carl and Sessel as they walked out of the lobby. Karl tried his best to put on a brave face and said: "You can arrest me or shoot me. It doesn't matter whether I die or not." Sessel blamed Hitler for not keeping his promise not to stage a coup. Hitler was very upset and said: "Yes, I broke my promise. Please forgive me. But for the sake of the motherland, I have to do this." But Karl began to whisper to the silent Losov, and he suddenly became furious and shouted , "Don't speak without my permission." Up to this point, he had made little progress. Later, without saying a word, he walked out of the room, rushed to the hall, and announced: The three people have agreed to form a new German government with him. The Bavarian cabinet has resigned. I propose that the Bavarian government be composed of a regent and a regent. Composed of a prime minister with authoritarian powers. I propose to Herr von Carr the regent and to Herr Bonner the chancellor. The November sinner government and the German president have been declared removed. A new national government will be installed today in Munich.