What happened in the invasion of the Ruhr?
Invasion. In January 1923, the French and Belgian armies sent 60,000 soldiers into the Ruhr region of Germany. The French aimed to extract the unpaid reparations and took control of key industries and natural resources. The Weimar Government instructed the Ruhr workers to go on strike, instead of helping the French.
What happened in the Ruhr Valley in 1923?
Ruhr occupation, (1923–25) occupation of the industrial Ruhr River valley region in Germany by French and Belgian troops. The action was provoked by German deficiencies in the coal and coke deliveries to France required by the reparations agreement after World War I.
Why was there a Ruhr invasion?
On the 9 January 1923, in response to the lack of payment of reparations, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr. The Ruhr was a region of Germany which contained resources such as factories. The French and Belgians intended to use these resources to make up for the unpaid reparations.
What does Ruhr mean in history?
British Dictionary definitions for Ruhr Ruhr. / (rʊə, German ruːr) / noun. the chief coalmining and industrial region of Germany: in North Rhine-Westphalia around the valley of the River Ruhr (a tributary of the Rhine 235 km (146 miles) long)German name: Ruhrgebiet (ˈruːrɡəˌbiːt)
Why did Germany suffer hyperinflation in 1923?
In order to pay the striking workers the government simply printed more money. This flood of money led to hyperinflation as the more money was printed, the more prices rose. Prices ran out of control, for example a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923, had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923.
Was the invasion of the Ruhr successful?
According to Sally Marks, the occupation of the Ruhr “was profitable and caused neither the German hyperinflation, which began in 1922 and ballooned because of German responses to the Ruhr occupation, nor the franc’s 1924 collapse, which arose from French financial practices and the evaporation of reparations”.
What caused the German hyperinflation of 1923?
What is Ruhr famous for?
The Ruhr coalfield (extending west of the Rhine and north of the Lippe) is one of the world’s largest, producing the bulk of Germany’s bituminous coal.
What type of inflation occurred in Germany in 1923?
German hyperinflation
In 1923, at the most fevered moment of the German hyperinflation, the exchange rate between the dollar and the Mark was one trillion Marks to one dollar, and a wheelbarrow full of money would not even buy a newspaper. Most Germans were taken by surprise by the financial tornado.
Why was the French occupation of the Ruhr in 1923 important for Germany?
The Ruhr was an important industrial region of Germany close to the border with France and also home to many coalfields which were vital to Germany’s industrial production and, therefore, its ability to pay reparations. Germany would sometimes pay reparations “in kind”, in the form of coal and goods.
How did the invasion of the Ruhr end?
The last French troops evacuated Düsseldorf and Duisburg along with the city’s important harbour in Duisburg-Ruhrort, ending French occupation of the Ruhr region on 25 August 1925.
What were the effects of hyperinflation in Germany 1923?
The more money that the government printed, the more the money became worthless. This meant that, when other countries exchanged their money to Reichsmarks, it wasn’t worth anything. As a result, imports to Germany fell and the shortages became worse. Germany could not import the goods it needed for survival.