The Occupation of The Ruhr..!

After the events of World War 1 – known to its participants as ‘The Great War’ or ‘The War to End All Wars’, peace amongst the countries of Europe was thin and fragile. The international tension present in this time could very well be linked to the cause of the infamous second World War – specifically the rising friction between post-war France and Germany. While the French recovered from the damage and losses of the war, most agreed that payback was in order, targeting Germany during the configuration of the Treaty of Versailles.

Georges Clemenceau, French Prime Minister during the time of the treaty, advocated for heavy reparations to be placed on Germany, as well as land and military supplies taken away. As one of the three Powers of their time (France, Britain, America), France succeeded in a lot of these efforts. Though the Germans signed the Treaty, the majority of their Government and common population were far from agreeing with the terms, believing that they were unjustly blamed – the signing of the Treaty placed responsibility for all damage in The Great War on Germany.

Throughout the coming years France would grow increasingly concerned with Germany’s affairs, strict on reparations (which, even other countries could agree were somewhat harsh) and suspicious of their ability to arm themselves. This fear stemmed from the previous invasions France underwent at the hand of Germany, such as the holding of Alsace-Lorraine, and the fact that the two countries directly shared a border. In efforts to prepare for such an event, the French Government created their own Peace Organisation, tasked with making allies and signing treaties with neighboring European countries (such as Poland, Belgium and Romania). While the French pursued their preservation tactics, other countries and Powers focused on financially recovering from the War.

The Occupation 

Throughout the 1920s France actively demands Germany’s reparations to be paid – but Germany cannot afford to. The other countries did not accept the German mark, so the debt was to be paid in the form of foreign currency, gold, or raw materials. In desperation, the German Government began printing money to be able to pay their debts. Even with this additional printed money, they fell short. France felt enraged at the fact and tried to have Britain assist them in pressuring Germany to pay, but even Britain felt that France was pushing too hard. Nevertheless, France ended up threatening to invade Ruhr – a large, essential industrious area in Germany – if they did not pay their debts. A scheduled delivery of raw materials fails to arrive, and France decides to occupy the Ruhr.

In January of 1923, French soldiers rolled into the area. Gustav Stresemann is put into power as Chancellor of Germany soon after. German workers in the Ruhr are told by the Government to peacefully protest by means of a strike, ensuring that France did not profit from their endeavour, but to appease the workers on strike the German Government prints more money to pay them.

This leads to a catastrophic collapse of the German economy, resulting in hyper-inflation of the German mark. Germany suffers through this while France holds the Ruhr from 1923 to 1925. To the French, led by Prime Minister Raymond Poincare, holding the Ruhr was bringing justice to what the Germans had done to them. Although, former Prime Minister Clemenceau, advocate for Germany to be held responsible for their actions (and more) personally disagreed with the action of invading the Ruhr, as he thought it would harm France’s relations with the other Powers and countries of Europe.

Consequences 

Eventually, the French were made to stand down and release The Ruhr. After the debacle France had gained nothing, and had lost respect from its fellow countries of Europe, seen as a threat to the “peace” that Europe had only just achieved. Alternately, Germany had lost faith in international loans, and a rise in Nationalism began as the country felt shunned and targeted. It was in this spiteful movement that the Nationalist Socialist German Workers’ Party gained traction and power, along with an important addition – Adolf Hitler.

Another result of the Occupation was the creation of The Dawes Plan, an economic strategy to lessen Germany’s reparations, alleviate pressure on their economy, restructure loans and maintain international peace, designed by Charles G. Dawes and Gustav Stresemann, Vice President of America at the time (at the opposition of German Nationalists). Though this succeeded in re-establishing Germany’s economic stability, the fix on peace was only temporary.

The Death of Two Characters.

After serving as Chancellor for several months Stresemann stepped down from the role and became the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Germany, where he focused his attention on re-entering the European community for the benefit of economic trade. He received the Nobel Peace Prize with the French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand in 126 for their work on Franco-German relations in the years following the Occupation. Stresemann died in 1929 and Briand was assassinated 1932, events that left jarring gaps in both Governments and international-relations work. The deaths of both men are considered another aspect that contributed to the uneasy relations and eventual second World War.

Senara Senanayake.