Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic Lesson`

This is a lesson for Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic.

National Curriculum Standards:

• Learners will understand the causes and effects of inflation.

• Learners will be able to explain how monetary decisions at the national level affect households, businesses and governments.

• Learners will be able to analyze and evaluate conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute to conflict and cooperation among groups and nations.

Specific Objectives:

• To identify the reasons for hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic

• To understand how the Treaty of Versailles placed an unrealistic debt in Germany which would eventually lead to the rise of Hitler and World War II.

Materials:

• Fake money. (either bought or printed if your school has a cutter.) Make sure there are enough units of $1 so students are not struggling for change.

• Papers (preferably color)

• Markers

Procedure:

Start by reviewing the Treaty of Versailles and how it unfairly placed the blame and a huge debt burden on Germany. ($33 billion). Then tell the class that the Weimar Republic, which was the democratic government set up in Germany after the war came up with an ingenious solution to pay off the debt.

To realize how this is going to affect Germany, start a game in which the class will simulate the German economy in the 1920’s. You may want to start off by having students clear up some desks to the sides of the classroom. Divide the class into seven or eight groups. There should be about five groups of German merchants and about two or three groups of British and French “tourists” that will visit Germany. Each German merchant group will sell a specific product during five rounds. Some ideas for German products: Bread, Milk, Beer, Brats, chocolates. Of course, they do not need these items in class. Simply prepare ahead these items by drawing them with markers on colorful paper. Prepare five papers for each item.

An editable 4-page Word doc