Ninety-six years after Kaiser Wilhelm II led his nation into war, the end is finally in sight. The German Federal Budget for 2010 shows that the final outstanding reparations for World War I owed to the Alliance will be paid by Sunday. The country still owes almost $95 million of an almost $35 billion debt imposed by the Treaty of Versailles for starting the Great War... [More: http://ow.ly/2Mace]
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Thank God, the world can finally rest without the fear of Zeppelin attacks. But seriously, I thought Hitler payed off the balance in the 1930s. And who is still receiving this money? Since Germany is a net-contributor to the EU, wouldn't this be completely redundant... unless there's still reparation money going to non-EU Allied nations, like the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes... EDIT: I answered my own question. It's actually the last loan repayment, used to finance the reparations, not the reparations themselves. From those nostalgic days when the US was a net creditor, not debtor nation.
Posted by
Mansfield, GA
850 posts
Hitler actually reneged on the reparations during his time in power otherwise the debt would have been paid off much sooner.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO USA
1976 posts
So now does Germany begin paying off its World War II debt? :)
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
I think the Marshall Plan saw to it that Germany would not be saddled with more war debt. Had they been, we might have had WW III.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The Wirtschaftswunder didn't hurt either.
Posted by
St. Louis, MO USA
1976 posts
I was just kidding about the World War II debt. It's amazing what Germany has accomplished in 65 years.