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Why did France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr in 1923?

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Birth of the Weimar Republic — Weimar Republic Learn about Germany's fledgling Weimar Republic and the challenges it faced.

France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr in January 1923 primarily to enforce reparations payments mandated by the Treaty of Versailles following World War I.12

The occupation was triggered by German defaults on required deliveries of coal and coke to France. French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré viewed the industrial region as a "productive guarantee" that could be used to secure these payments by force. By seizing the area, France and Belgium aimed to gain direct control over German energy resources and transportation, effectively creating a bargaining chip to compel compliance.134

The German government responded by ordering passive resistance, which paralyzed the region's economy and contributed to the catastrophic hyperinflation of 1923. The dispute was eventually resolved through the Dawes Plan, leading to the withdrawal of occupation forces by 1925.152