The Occupation of the Ruhr

What is the Ruhr?

A large area in the mid-west of Germany

• part of the Rhineland

• many coal and steel factories

What happened to the Rhineland after WWI?

Allied troops were stationed there

Who did Germany have to pay the majority of reparations to after WWI (and how much)?

France, £6.6 billion (by 1921’s money)

Did Germany keep up with these payments?

No

How were the payments supposed to be given?

By cash and kind

• some payments were raw materials exported from Germany

Which year did Germany fail to make many payments?

1922-3

Which payments did they miss?

• Dec 1922, failed timber delivery

• Jan 1923, failed coal delivery (34th in 36 months)

What did the French do as a result of this?

Ordered an invasion of the Ruhr

• Marched soldiers into the area and took control of factories - in order to forcibly take goods as payment

What was their justification for this?

• If Germany could escape the clauses of the ToV, there would be another war

• Argued Germany were missing payments on purpose to force the Allies to give up on the ToV

What did the German government do in response?

Ordered a campaign of passive resistance

• asked population not to co-operate with French soldiers

What did the workers in the Ruhr do?

• Went on strike, so nothing was produced for the French government to take

How did the French respond to this campaign?

• Firmly and with violence

  • In the Krupp steel works, workers refusing to take orders were shot at

• Others were expelled from the region

• 132 killed, 150,000 expelled

What was the US and Britain’s reaction?

They were sympathetic towards Germany

• better long-term consequences despite bad short-term

When what passive resistance ended and who by?

October 1923, when Stresemann became Chancellor

When did the French leave the Ruhr?

1925