The name (, officially just
Mark,
sign:
M) is applied to the
German currency from 4 August 1914 when the link between the
Goldmark and gold was abandoned, due to the outbreak of
World War I. In particular, the name is used for the banknotes issued during the
hyperinflation in Germany of 1922 and especially 1923, which was a result of the German government's decision to pay its war debt by printing banknotes.