Reparations and the Ruhr

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During 1919-1923, Germany was struggling massively. What was the main reason for this?
They had to pay £6.6 billion reparations and they couldn't keep up
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In 1922, the Weimar Republic stopped paying reparations. What did France and Belgium do to counter this?
They seized the Ruhr (German region) and they seized all the coal and the goods that they believed Germany owed them.
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What was the Ruhr?
It was the main industrial region of Germany
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What did the French and Belgians do in the Ruhr?
They seized all the factories, mines and railways in the area.
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What did the rest of Europe think about this?
They though it was legal because of the Treaty of Versailles
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How did Germany react to the French and Belgians seizing the Ruhr?
The government told the German workers to go on strike. They called this 'passive resistance'. They were payed to do it as well. Over 8 months, 132 people were killed.
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What was the German state formed after the Kaiser widely known as?
Weimar Germany
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What bad thing happened to Germany after this?
Hyperinflation
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What is hyperinflation?
When prices increase very fast as money loses its value.
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What was the cause of hyperinflation in Germany?
When money was printed, governments tied currency to a fixed value of gold. But Weimar Germany did not have enough gold to match the amount of money it was printing. So the value of the German mark fell and prices increased rapidly.
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What were the consequences of hyperinflation?
In 1918, a loaf of bread cost 0.6 German marks. By November 1923, it cost 201 billion German marks. As prices rose every hour, people bought goods as soon as they were paid. This meant that they carried money round in wheelbarrows.
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What were some social problems with hyperinflation?
People with savings lost their money, people with a fixed income couldn't renegotiate their earnings, small business owners went bankrupt and elderly people with fixed pensions lost their income
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Who benefited form hyperinflation?
Farmers, because people payed more for food and people with crippling debt, because they didn't have to pay them anymore. However, most people suffered.
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How did people try to get around the problem of hyperinflation?
Using a barter system (trading)
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

In 1922, the Weimar Republic stopped paying reparations. What did France and Belgium do to counter this?

Back

They seized the Ruhr (German region) and they seized all the coal and the goods that they believed Germany owed them.

Card 3

Front

What was the Ruhr?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What did the French and Belgians do in the Ruhr?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did the rest of Europe think about this?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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