French occupation of the Ruhr

French occupation of the Ruhr.

1. The Weimar Government said that they weren't able to pay reparations for the next three years' instalments after 1922, due to economic hardship
2. The French didn't believe this, thinking that they were actually able to pay, but were testing international patience.
3. In 1923, 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.
4. The Weimar Government ended up instructing Ruhr workers to go on strike, as opposed to helping the French.
5. The Ruhr was the richest industrial part of Germany. The France/Belgian occupation of it led to fury in Germany, while workers in the Ruhr refused to work: government income from the Ruhr was down.
6. German industry was devastated again, plunging the economy into hyperinflation.