The cost of living had begun to spiral out of control. What was to be done? Casting around, people found a life raft: shares. Every day the entire population studied the stock market listings. Sometimes some shares collapsed and thousands of people hurtled toward the abyss. In every shop, every factory, every school, share tips were whispered in one’s ear.
-1923 Germany in the book Defying Hitler by Sebastian Haffner
