Germany was shit out of luck following World War I. Defeated, humiliated and broke — the nation had lost its money, its army and its sense of purpose. And then the Treaty of Versailles came along and kicked it while it was down. Crushing debt, no army and no geopolitical influence.
Folks were starving. Inflation made money worthless. Work disappeared. The entire place was coming apart.
And then Hitler arrives in 1933 with grand promises. Repair the economy. Revive pride. Great again Germany. And the people believed — not that they adored him but that they had nothing left to lose.
The Treaty? He ignored it. Started secretly rearming the army. But armies cost money — costly money that Germany didn't have.
So he did it. Faked it. Literally. Created dummy companies that printed IOUs in the form of Mefo bills. Factories accepted them as cash and manufactured weapons. It was not actual money but it kept the machine rolling.
And meanwhile he started gigantic projects — roads, bridges, stadiums. Instant employment. But don't be fooled: those roads were built for tanks.
He even negotiated with the Soviets to train troops and test weapons in secret.
Before anyone even considered looking up Germany was locked, loaded and ready to fire. War wasn't on its way — it was inevitable.
