Allied occupation of the Ruhr District

© Rohrerhof Protest against the occupation of the Ruhr District

On 11 January 1923, French and Belgian troops marched into the Ruhr District, the centre of German heavy industry, and a wave of indignation swept across Germany. The motive for the „Occupation of the Ruhr“ is a minor arrears in German reparations to France. The government under Reich Chancellor Wilhelm Cuno calls on the population to practice „passive resistance“ and halts all deliveries of coal to France and Belgium. As a result, occupation authorities expel ca. 150,000 people from the Ruhr District. Violent opposition arises in some areas and is put down with a heavy hand by occupation troops. Day by day, the „struggle in the Ruhr“ continues to worsen Germany’s economic situation, already in a disastrous state because of the war and its aftermath.