The rise of the yen and the Deutschemark occurred only 20 years after the catastrophic devastation of World War II, which had inevitably been accompanied by inflation. During the immediate postwar occupation, US military planners had to impose new currency regimes and central banking institutions.
许多事后诸葛亮都说，当年的这一轮更替是不可避免的，然而，人们当年却普遍觉得不大可能。日元和德国马克的崛起上距二战浩劫只不过20年，而两国在二战期间都经历了严重通货膨胀。在战后占领时期，美国军事当局不得不重建两国的货币和央行体系。