Works in Progress Podcast

Inflation in Rome, Weimar Germany and Soviet Russia with Mark Koyama

16 snips
Feb 11, 2026
Mark Koyama, economic historian and George Mason professor, explores historical inflation crises. He traces Rome’s coin debasement, Diocletian’s price edicts, Weimar hyperinflation’s social fallout, Soviet price liberalization and policy tradeoffs. Short, vivid stories show how money shocks reshape politics, institutions and public trust.
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INSIGHT

Stable Prices Support Institutional Entrenchment

  • A long stable price level (1815–1914) coincided with entrenched institutions and policy continuity.
  • Stable money is a precondition for institutional development, not a sole cause.
INSIGHT

Hyperinflation Shatters Middle-Class Faith

  • German hyperinflation destroyed middle-class savings and undermined faith in the system.
  • That loss of legitimacy was a key precondition for extremist politics in the 1930s.
ANECDOTE

'Inflation Kings' And Social Scapegoating

  • After hyperinflation, anti-Semitic 'inflation kings' were blamed as profiteers in hard-hit areas.
  • Such social scapegoating helped fuel radical politics even after prices stabilized.
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