The timing of Schumm's 1929 arrival was before Hitler's seizure of power on January 30, 1933. Germany had been in the throes of severe economic duress from post World War I, which included hyperinflation that began around 1922. His arrival was also days after the Great Crash of 1929 on Wall Street. The Great Depression had struck Germany hard in late 1929, and sunk to its trough in early 1932.