19231923 unveils the astonishing year when German democracy faced crisis and near destruction. This year was one of the most remarkable in modern European history. In January, France and Belgium militarily occupied Germany's economic heartland, the Ruhr, triggering a series of crises that almost spiralled out of control. Hyperinflation plunged millions into poverty, and the search for scapegoats empowered political extremes. Hitler's populism ascended to