Ruhr Occupation

Question 1

When was the Ruhr Occupation

Answer 1

1923

Question 2

What was the Ruhr Occupation a result of

Answer 2

Germany’s failure to pay reperations of the Treaty of Versailles (6.1 billion pounds). France was also suffering from war debts and a shortage of industrial materials

Question 3

How did the French occupy the Ruhr

Answer 3

In Jan 1923, the occupation ws achieved quickly and methodically. French and Belgian troops crosses the border and marched 150,000 civillians out of the area

Question 4

What was the Germans reaction towards the Ruhr Occupation

Answer 4

Sparked outrage across Germany. A group of nationalists including Albert Schlageter, carried out acts of sabotage in the Ruhr, and Schlageter was eventually caught, trialled, and sentenced to death by the French.

Question 5

What was the government’s response to the Ruhr Occupation

Answer 5

The Weimar Government employed a ‘passive resistance’ policy which encourage strikes and froze industrial production. The government promised to pay striking workers, however the national treasury was almost empty, leading to the printing of more banknotes, which resulted in the rampant hyperinflation of 1923.