• Focus on Paper 3: Use the timeline to write an account of the Ruhr Crisis  (15)
• 3 Paragraphs: Context, events, outcomes 

Timeline of the Ruhr Crisis (1919–1924)

1919 – Treaty of Versailles Signed

• Germany is required to pay reparations to the Allies.
• The treaty includes harsh economic terms that put strain on the German economy.

1921 – Reparations Figure Set

• The total amount is fixed at 132 billion gold marks (around £6.6 billion).
• Germany struggles to make payments, leading to rising tensions with the Allies.

1922 – Germany Defaults on Payments

• Germany misses several reparation instalments due to economic difficulties.
• The Allies, particularly France and Belgium, begin to lose patience.

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January 1923 – Occupation of the Ruhr

• French and Belgian troops invade the Ruhr, Germany’s main industrial region.
• The aim is to take goods and raw materials as payment “in kind.”

1923 – Passive Resistance and Hyperinflation

• The German government calls for passive resistance—workers go on strike and refuse to cooperate.
• The government continues to pay striking workers by printing money, leading to hyperinflation.
• The German mark becomes worthless; savings are wiped out; economic chaos follows.

Late 1923 – Passive Resistance Ends

• Under new Chancellor Gustav Stresemann, passive resistance is called off to stabilise the economy.
• This decision is unpopular and leads to criticism, especially from nationalist groups.

1924 – Dawes Plan Introduced

• The Dawes Plan is agreed with help from the USA.
• It reorganises Germany’s reparation payments and provides loans to help rebuild the economy.
• French and Belgian troops begin to withdraw from the Ruhr.​