French occupation of the Ruhr

• Germany defaulted on reparations repayments in 1922, and in January 1923 French and Belgian troops (legally) occupied the Ruhr to take reparations in raw materials
• Due to the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr, the German government responded by ordering a strike. The French troops killed over 100 and expelled 100,000 German workers. German industrial production ground to a halt, and this caused hyperinflation