A RUHR DEAL 1923

French soldiers and an armoured vehicle are pictured in the centre of Essen, in the industrial Ruhr region of Germany. The occupation of the Ruhr area began after the Weimar government defaulted on its reparation debts, agreed in the Treaty of Versailles. French and Belgian troops entered the region in January, 1923, and they remained for over two-and-a-half years. During this time German factory workers peacefully and at times violently resisted the occupation.