Money for Inflation: Histories of Notgeld in Germany, 1914-1923
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: History
Abstract
This project is the first critical history of the emergency money (Notgeld) that was ubiquitous in Germany between 1914 and 1923. Focusing on the British Museum's collection of around 20,000 different items in the Department of Coins and Medals, it employs these aesthetically striking and exceptionally varied banknotes and tokens to investigate how German authorities sought to manage the deeply disruptive experience of wartime, defeat, crisis and inflation and what role these artefacts played in the everyday life of ordinary women and men. This study exploits a unique and rich source that historians have so far ignored.
| Title | Exhibition 'Currency in Crisis: German Emergency Money, 1914 - 1924' at the British Museum. October 2019 to March 2020 |
| Description | I have curated an exhibition on the GErman emergency money in the First World War and the inflation in Germany |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | I have had a multituge of feedback via email and several articles about the exhibition appeared in the press (among them the Financial Times and the Guardian. |
| URL | https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/currency-crisis-german-emergency-money-1914-1924 |
| Description | I have gained more understanding into the origins and dynamics of the German emergency money (Notgeld) in the years 1914-1923. I have discovered that for a period of its issuance roughly 1919- 1922), the collectible aspect of the money was the main reason for its issuance. I have further discovered that, during the hyperinflation of 1923, the privilege to issue Notgeld was often abused by cities to create an additional source of income. I have found sources relating to this that, to my knowledge, have not been researched so far. My initial thesis that the regional aspect of the German emergency money was an expression of renewed regionalism or even separatism of German provinces has developed to say that these regional references should instead be interpreted as a continued commitment to German nationalism after the First World War, confirming the discourse around the term 'Heimat' in historiography. |
| Exploitation Route | Starting in October 2019 there will be an exhibition on my PhD topic at the British Museum. My findings may be of use to anyone who is interested in the perception of monetary inflation in the general public, decision-making relating to inflation and economic crisis, regional currency and alternative forms of currency, or research on nostalgia, revanchism and nationalism. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy,Other |
| URL | https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/research_projects/all_current_projects/collaborative_doctoral_awards/johannes_hartmann.aspx |
| Description | I am currently curating an exhibition on my PhD topic that will be shown at the British Museum and is due to be opened in October 2019. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | 2 gallery talks at the British Museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave two gallery talks in October and December 2019 in which I presented my exhibtion to the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | A presentation at the conference L'argent immoral et les profiteurs de la guerre in Paris |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave the talk 'Moral Money? Depictions of the Schieber and and criticism of profiteers in post-WWI Germany' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Interview for Financial Times article with Gavin Jackson |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with Gavin Jackson of the Financial Times re: Currency in Crisis exhibiton at the British Museum |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.ft.com/content/8741ea46-435e-11ea-a43a-c4b328d9061c |
| Description | Review of my exhibtion in the Observer |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed by the Observer. The magazine published an article coinciding with the opening of my exhibition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2019/sep/28/emergency-cash-german-banknote-designs-... |
| Description | Talk to the general public about the Notgeld at St George's German Lutheran Church in Aldgate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a 45 minute talk at St George's German Lutheran Church in Aldgate to the General public |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |