What 'prompted' the Ruhr crisis?
The signing of the Treaty of Versailles
The announcement of the reparations figure in 1921
Germany defaulting on reparation payments
What was the French and Belgian response to Germany defaulting on reparations?
They gave Germany a stern warning
They carried out a military occupation of the Ruhr
The took it to the League of Nations
Why the Ruhr?
It was Germany's region of culture
It was valuable agricultural land
It was the heartland of Germany's coal and steel industry
In 1921 the Germans made a reparations payment of 50 million
What did Ebert's Government ask the Ruhr workers to do?
To take up arms to resist the occupation
To resist 'passively' i.e strike
To co-operate with the invaders
Which of the following are 'true' of the French and Belgian actions in the Ruhr?
They had resistance leaders arrested
They brought in their own workers
They treated the German population with respect
They expelled 150,000 Germans from the region
They shot 132 German workers
How did the Weimar Government support the striking German workers?
It provided them with food supplies
It provided them with weapons to defend themselves
It continued to pay their wages
What was the main consequence of paying the striking workers for the German economy?
It meant the workers could feed themselves
The USA stepped in to provide loans to support the German economy
It led to hyper-inflation
Describe the effects of hyper-inflation - select all that apply
Prices spiralled out of control
A loaf of bread went from 250 marks in January 1923 to 200,000 marks in November
Paper money became diluted and worthless
People who had borrowed money could repay their debts
Those with savings saw them increase in value
Farmers 'coped' as there products remained in demand
What were the 'political' consequences of the hyper-inflation?
Communists took control of Saxony and the Rhineland
The Nazis attempted a Putsch in Munich
The Freikorps attempted a Putsch in Berlin
The Army attempted a military coup