Blast From The Past…Or Pictures Of Our Future?

Time features a fascinating collection of 11 photos, entitled “The Dangers of Printing Money,” that help chronicle what life was like during the hyperinflation of the Weimar era.

Bettmann/CORBIS

Tough Times
In the years following World War I, Germany took to printing money to help meet expenses. With inflation spiraling and the mark plummeting, things worsened when the French occupied Germany’s industrial Ruhr region. Workers, the middle class and pensioners were hit hardest by the crisis by the crisis. Here, the Salvation Army serves hungry Berliners in the dark days of 1923.

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

Child’s Play
Forget toys: with as many as 4.2 trillion marks to the dollar by late 1923, German children played in the streets with worthless money.

Keystone/Corbis

Walking a Tightrope
With the mark almost worthless, bartering made a comeback. Germans are seen here swapping bread, sausages and jam for tickets to the circus.

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

Black Market
With dollars a prized possession, two men trade marks for U.S. currency on a street in Berlin in 1922. [Editor's note: I'm wondering if the trade might go in the opposite direction next time around.]

Click here to see the rest.

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