Germany
The enormous war reparations had already emptied the pockets of the German people. Now, not only were ordinary people struggling to get by—even the Junker Nobility were having a hard time!
Half of all industrial products were being used to pay off debts, while the rest had to be exported in exchange for industrial raw materials. To reduce foreign-exchange expenditure, the Weimar Government had passed laws banning the domestic use of luxury goods.
Inflation had turned the mark into wastepaper, sweeping away the wealth of countless people. Sixty percent of Germany's population owed massive debts to the banks, while the bankers lurking behind the scenes became the only victors!
Had Ferdinand not increased food aid to Germany, giving the Weimar Government enough food to fill the people's stomachs, they would have collapsed long ago.
The influx of relief grain had also harmed the interests of one class: the land-based Junker Nobility. The Weimar Government's rule had already begun to wobble.
Germany's current grain shortfall exceeded three million tons. In other words, even after deducting Bulgaria's food aid, they still had to import at least two million tons of grain every year to fill the domestic gap.
Yet the main grain producers, the Junker Nobility, did not want the government to continue importing food. They believed that if domestic grain prices rose a little further, everyone's enthusiasm for production could be stirred up, filling the domestic grain shortage.
Naturally, the Weimar Government could not agree. Probably no ruler would dare agree—if food imports truly stopped, the German people would revolt!
It was because of food during World War I that the Germans had surrendered. As one of the leading parties, the Weimar Government knew there was one thing it absolutely had to accomplish: ensure the domestic food supply!
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