Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

274 DER FUEHRERlarge quantities of nitrogen by a newly discovered process; now a waywas found to transform coal into gasoline; methods were studied formanufacturing artificial rubber, for making textiles out of plant fibersand a metal substitute out of milk. Steel production, which in 1920 hadamounted to 8,500,000 tons, rose in 1927 to 16300,000; iron productionin the same period rose from 6,300,000 to 13,100,000 tons; in the sameperiod English steel production remained static at 9,000,000 tons, that ofiron actually fell from 8,000,000 to 7,200,000 tons.In the years from 1924 to 1928 German industry was rebuilt withmuch energy and genius. That remarkable machine was created fromwhich post-republican Germany was able to draw so much militarystrength. The rest of the world helped with large loans; certainly notfrom altruism, but because Germany paid abnormally high interest;German municipal loans, some of which were floated in foreignmarkets, paid as high as eight per cent. At all events, Germany was inlarge part restored through foreign capital. At the end of 1927,Germany's long-term indebtedness again mounted to 5,500,000,000marks, and the short-term foreign indebtedness was not much lower. Butin 'reparations' she had to pay an annual sum which in 1928 rose to2,500,000,000 marks and was expected to go on indefinitely. It was aninteresting circle: American money poured into Germany, Germanypaid reparations, chiefly to France, but also to England; France andEngland paid their war debts to America.'Credulous optimism has befogged hundreds of thousands, in fact,millions of our people,' cried Hitler, rather desperately. He said this inAugust, 1927, in Nuremberg to twenty thousand supporters — the mosthe could gather in one place at that time. This, to be sure, was five timesas many as in February, 1925; nevertheless, this first of the so-called'Nuremberg Party Days' offered no sign of strength. He, therefore,devoted much time to ridiculing the 'army of optimists,' who speak ofGerman successes and 'build on the future with a light-mindedness thatis positively indecent.' He admitted that the sight of the discontentedNational Socialists 'may seem strange and unbelievable to the army ofoptimists.' And he wanted to seem strange to this confident, Germancrowd; like