It’s important to note that, at the beginning, the loaf of bread went up very slowly. At that time, most people didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. Like the boiling frog fable.
The Parallels Between The U.S. And The Weimar Republic
We can’t go back in time and change the past. But we can look at historical examples and compare them to our current reality, so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.
The first parallel between the United States and the Weimar Republic is money printing. Take a look at the United States’ M1 and M2, which are measurements of the amount of dollars in circulation: M2 is also a key economic indicator used to forecast inflation.
It goes without saying, the resemblance between these indicators and the German CPI is astonishing.
The third parallel we can draw from the Weimar Republic is our crippling debt. Defaulting on debt was the first “domino piece” that led to other events unfolding. In 2021, the United States grew to a record budget deficit of $1.7 trillion in the first half of the fiscal year. It means we’re spending more than we’re bringing in — exponentially more than in previous years.
It’s All A Matter Of Perspective
The reason I bring you all these data is so you can zoom out and see things from a better perspective. In the book, “When Money Dies”by Adam Fergusson, he says most Germans couldn’t see what was really happening. A lot of them literally thought they were getting rich because they thought their assets were going up in value.
But now you know that was not the case, it was actually the German mark losing purchasing power. So they started banking their cash, selling their assets and trading them for currency. At the end of the day, they ended up with a literal pile of worthless paper.
Now, if you were in the Weimar Republic at that time, what would you have done?
The chart above shows the price of gold from 1915 to 1935. If you’d bought gold around 1920 and held on to it until 1935 that would’ve been the trade of the decade for you. But here’s the biggest takeaway: It’s easy to see the upward trend from this perspective, but it wasn’t a clear, straight line for people living at that time. It was a very volatile period.
So let me ask you: What are you doing with your money now? Some people are cashing out, trading their assets like real estate, gold, bitcoin or even stocks for dollars because they’re at all-time highs. The same way the Germans did.
If we continue to increase debt and print money, the USD will continue to lose its value and its position as the world’s reserve currency. The loaf of bread is going up and you don’t want to end up with a pile of worthless cash.
My advice to you is to find inflation hedges, assets that are going up with the rate of inflation. Most importantly, start now before it’s too late. Don’t wait for the “next Bretton Woods Agreement,” the transition is already happening — and it’s happening right in front of you.
This is a guest post by Mark Moss. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC, Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.