RUHR DISTRICT, the principal in dustrial and mining district of Germany, located in the Prussian province of West falen and Rhenish Prussia. It contains the Ruhr mountains, which yield vast quantities of a superior grade of coal. The coal industry, which has been highly developed, has resulted in the establish ment of vast industrial enterprises, espe cially in connection with the metallur gical and textile industries. The most important towns are Dortmund, Hoerde, Witten, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Essen, 11luelheim, Oberhausen, and Duisburg. Large quantities of coal, in normal times, are exported to Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, and through the Dortmund Ems Canal to the North Sea ports. The district is one of the wealthiest of Cen tral Europe.
In March, 1920, after the collapse of the Kapp coup d'etat, uprisings of a serious nature occurred in the district. They were the result of the general strike which was declared by the Ebert govern ment in order to suppress the reaction ary movement started by Dr. Kapp and his adherents. However, after the col lapse of this movement, the general strike, which was called off in the other parts of Germany, was continued in the Ruhr District and before long assumed dan gerous proportions. Groups of armed
workingmen led by radicals attempted to secure control of the industrial estab lishments. The uprising, however, was not all of a purely economic nature, but to a certain extent was influenced by internal and foreign politics. Eventually the Ebert government by the use of armed forces, succeeded in suppressing the re volt. The occupation of the Ruhr District was mentioned at various times since the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty as a possibility in order to force Ger many to give more prompt and strict adherence to the peace terms. The dis trict was especially affected by the Peace Treaty and the negotiations following the latter, because of the fact that the ma jority of the coal which Germany was forced to deliver to France came from its mines.