Convinced that the only way forward for Germany was a coalition of the political middle ground, Stresemann struggled to contain extremists on both left and right. Recognising that passive resistance was inflicting more harm on Germany than on France, he ended the strike in September 1923, thereby taking the first step in stabilising the mark. Then, with his introduction of a new currency, the Rentenmark, solidly backed by land and industrial plant, the inflation that had so devastated the country was finally brought under control.
