Why Can’t We Just Print More Money

In 1923, some German workers got paid at lunch break, so they could spend it before it lost even more value. The more money they got, the less it bought. So why can't we just print more money? We start with a 1752 thought experiment about waking up with five times the money. Then we visit three of the wildest money meltdowns on record: Germany in 1923, Hungary in 1946 and Zimbabwe in 2008. After that, we look at what headlines really mean when they say a central bank is "printing money." By the end, you'll have one simple question to ask the next time someone says, "Just print more." CHAPTERS 00:00 Five Times the Money 01:12 Tickets for Bread 01:58 Bread for Billions 03:51 Who Came Out Ahead 05:03 Between Breakfast and Bedtime 06:03 Printing Without a Press 08:15 The Souvenir Banknote 09:11 Back to the Wallet SOURCES Hyperinflation in Deutschland 1923, Deutscher Bundestag Research Services, Oct 12, 2023: https://www.bundestag.de/parlament/ge... Die Inflation 1923 (LeMO), Deutsches Historisches Museum, 2014: https://www.dhm.de/lemo/kapitel/weima... World Hyperinflations (table), Steve H. Hanke and Nicholas Krus, Cato Institute, 2012: https://www.bcci.bg/resources/files/h... Mar hetven eve forinttal fizetunk (70 years of the forint), Magyar Nemzeti Bank, 2016: https://www.mnb.hu/letoltes/horvath-k... Of the Balance of Trade, David Hume, 1752 (Econlib): https://www.econlib.org/library/LFBoo... Quantitative easing, Bank of England: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monet... Did Quantitative Easing by the Bank of Japan "Work"?, Mark M. Spiegel, FRBSF Economic Letter, Oct 20, 2006: https://www.frbsf.org/research-and-in... Modern Hyper- and High Inflations, Stanley Fischer, Ratna Sahay and Carlos Vegh, NBER Working Paper 8930, 2002: https://www.nber.org/papers/w8930 Giesecke & Devrient and Zimbabwe's banknote paper, VOA, Jul 2, 2008: https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2008-0... Zimbabwe's old notes and the central bank's offer, Reuters via VOA, Jun 12, 2015: https://www.voanews.com/a/reu-zimbabw... Zimbabwe ditches its dollar, ending an economic era, Bernardo Batiz-Lazo, The Conversation, Jun 15, 2015: https://theconversation.com/zimbabwe-... Subscribe for the stories behind the brands you know:    / @benbehindthebrand   Ben Behind the Brand explores surprising company stories, corporate rivalries, and the decisions that changed business. This video is for education and entertainment. It is not financial or investment advice. #Hyperinflation #Inflation #EconomicsExplained