Consequences of the Treaty of Versailles

• Political Violence - Right wing opponents of Ebert's government couldn't bear the treaty so they attempted a revolution called the Kapp Putsch. This was defeated by the army and a general strike by the workers which paralyzed services such as transport and power. This added to the chaos in Germany and the resentment towards the treaty.

  After this their were many political assassinations.

  In November 1923, Hitler attempted a rebellion in Munich which was crushed . The people shared his views and Hitler exploited this hatred towards the treaty to gain support for himself and Nazism.
• Conflict in Ruhr :

  Germany paid it's first installment of reparations of 50 million pounds in 1921 but paid nothing in 1922. French and Bulgarian soldiers entered the Rhineland . The government ordered a strike , the French got angry and killed a hundred workers. Germany had no good to trade , this led to economic downfall.
• The French occupied the Ruhr (industrial area) because Germany had not met its payments. They took over factories and mines and forced German workers to work there instead of being paid. This caused huge unemployment in Germany and made the economy worse. It also meant that France gained control of the coal and iron supplies from the Ruhr which helped them with their own industrialisation.
• Hyperinflation :

  The government printed extra money . The money became worthless. Some people with huge debts benefited from this and paid off their debt off in worthless marks. Money that could have bought a house in 1921 couldn't buy a loaf of bread in 1923.