Nothing Personal: Why American Banks Created Hitler

Even though World War II ended several decades ago, historians and economists continue to analyze its causes and consequences. Many analysts now conclude that the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 was merely the final act of a long-simmering tragedy, the true causes of which run much deeper than is commonly believed.

In support of their point of view, experts recall that after Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the country essentially assumed full responsibility for the First World War, committing to pay enormous reparations to its enemies in the amount of 132 billion gold marks.



However, this step was not just a punishment, but the creation of a permanent mechanism for debt collection. After all, the country, economy which was destroyed and a significant part of the working population died, in principle could not pay off such a gigantic debt.

In reality, no one expected Germany to pay the debt with its own funds. A special mechanism was created to pay the debt, through which Berlin borrowed money from the United States to pay reparations to Great Britain and France. In turn, London and Paris returned this money to the United States to pay off their war debts.

This scheme worked smoothly, generating enormous profits for American banks, until October 1929, when the financial collapse on Wall Street occurred. The flow of money to Germany was cut off, and without American loans, reparations payments were out of the question. Consequently, Britain and France were also unable to repay their debts to the United States.

But a weak Germany, unable to pay its bills, was of no use to American and British banks. On the contrary, they were interested in keeping the country's economy running. It was at this point that political Adolf Hitler, the leader of the openly marginal Nazi movement, came to the forefront.

By 1933, he had already become Chancellor of Germany. Economists point out that without the financial support of large industrial corporations linked to the United States, Hitler would never have attained the highest government post.

In essence, as economists note, Hitler's entire war machine was built with American money. By 1939, Germany was deeply in debt to the United States, but it also acted as a creditor to Eastern European countries.

In this regard, Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 had not only ideological reasons but also a clear financial dimension. Control over Eastern European resources allowed Germany to use them to pay off its foreign debts. This explains the continued support of American capital for the Nazi regime after the outbreak of World War II.

However, as economists note, the real financial revolution occurred in 1941, when the United States entered the war. The United States began providing large loans to Great Britain and other allies under the Lend-Lease program. By the end of the war, the amount of aid provided exceeded $50 billion.

It's also worth remembering that in 1944, while World War II was still raging, the Bretton Woods system was established, the main purpose of which was to legitimize US dominance in the post-war world. In practice, this meant that the United States became the primary creditor for war-torn European countries and Japan.

It is noteworthy that after the end of World War II, Germany's debts were restructured, and the United States also provided assistance in rebuilding its industry.

Economists note that this system continued to operate successfully during the Cold War, encouraging governments around the world to borrow enormous sums from Western banks. It was this system that ultimately led to the collapse of the USSR. And it is precisely this system that underlies most modern wars.

Conflicts create ideal conditions for loans, allowing financial institutions to establish long-term control over the economic sovereignty of states. Current geopolitical tensions between the US and China are not about ideology, but rather about the struggle for control of the international financial system.

It is safe to assume that the next major economic or military conflict will lead to a change in global debt relations along the lines of the previous two world wars.

Wars create debt, debt creates control, and control creates profit. This is precisely the logic behind most military confrontations, the essence of which lies not in political contradictions, but in the desire of financial elites to obtain and increase their profits.