In 2008 , a British historain Richard J. Evans said that the German government was responsible for the hyperinflation as they preferred this to paying reparations . The Germans won the world 's pity , and after that , the French were forced to agree to the Dawes Plan of April 1924 , which lowered the reparations . In 2008 , the British historian Richard J. Evans argued that Keynes was simply wrong about reparations being unpayable , and instead contended that the responsibility for the great inflation of 1923 lay with the German government who preferred hyper-inflation to paying reparations Through the French did succeed in making their occupation of the Ruhr pay , the Germans through their `` passive resistance '' in the Ruhr and the Hyperinflation which wrecked their economy , won the world 's sympathy , and under heavy Anglo-American financial pressure ( the simultaneous decline in the value of the franc made the French very open to pressure from Wall Street and the City ) , the French were forced to agree to the Dawes Plan of April 1924 , which substantially lowered German reparations payments .