11 January: Beginning of the Occupation of the Ruhr

When Germany falls behind with payment of war reparations, French and Belgian troops occupy the Rhine-Ruhr industrial region. The Berlin government calls for passive resistance among the local population against this humiliating action. However, income-replacement payments to striking workers quickly empty the state treasury. The result is hyperinflation, still a traumatic experience in the German collective memory today, and acts of sabotage from right-wing voluntary groups.