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

338 DER FUEHRERGermany was one of the most heavily taxed nations of the world.Even very small wage-earners had to pay an income tax, but about fourfifths of the German farmers were exempt. If this disease spread throughthe whole economic body — and this seemed inevitable — how couldGermany be expected to fulfill her obligations? The problem was nolonger if and how the Versailles Treaty would work, but whether it wasworth while to defend this treaty against the mounting world crisis.What would become of American investments if Germany were tobreak down under the burden of reparations, as Schacht prophesied?The French argued that if 'guilty' Germany stopped payments, thenFrance, the innocent victim, would be condemned to pay for havingbeen attacked, for she still had to pay back her American war loans.Therefore, it was impossible to do away completely with Germanreparations, but a new conference, held in the spring of 1929 in Parisand presided over by Owen D. Young, somewhat relieved the burden,which had gone up to two and a half billion marks (about $600,000,000)annually. Now it was stipulated that during fifty-nine years (until 1988)Germany should pay an annual average sum of 1,700,000,000 marks.This was still a heavy burden, especially since the safeguards which hadprotected German currency under the Dawes plan now were takenaway, although, on the other hand, the supervision by Parker Gilbertwas also ended. But the 'realists' who believed that such a system ofpolitical payments could be established for almost three generationsproved to be naive dreamers.German industry still found the weight too heavy, but Schacht,Germany's chief delegate in Paris, defended his work against criticismat home, although only half-heartedly. Stresemann, too, defended it. Hewas already gravely ill, and died in October, 1929.He did not live to see his greatest triumph. For Germany accepted thenew 'Young Plan' of reparations only under the condition that theFrench evacuated the Rhineland; and, pressed by America and England,France gave in and promised to evacuate every inch of German soil,except the small Saar territory at the Lorraine border, the fate of whichwas to be settled by a plebiscite in 1935. On June 30, 1930, the lastFrench troops left the Rhine-