A curious sidelight to the Greek debt crisis

by Sparta on June 30, 2015

in economy, European Union, Germany, Greece, James George Jatras (team member)

Look who’s now giving sanctimonious lectures to other countries about being debt-bilking deadbeats:

The Treaty of Versailles and the 1921 London Schedule of Payments required Germany to pay 132 billion gold marks (US$33 billion) in reparations to cover civilian damage caused during the war. . . . With the collapse of the German economy in 1931, reparations were suspended for a year and in 1932 during the Lausanne Conference they were cancelled altogether. Between 1919 and 1932, Germany paid less than 21 billion marks in reparations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_reparations

In 1942, the Greek Central Bank was forced by the occupying Nazi regime to loan 476 million Reichsmarks at 0% interest to Nazi Germany. In 1960, Greece accepted 115 million Marks as compensation for Nazi crimes. Nevertheless, past Greek governments have insisted that this was only a down-payment, not complete reparations. . . . Since that time, Germany has insisted that all matters concerning World War II, including further reparations to Greece, are closed because Germany officially surrendered to the Allies and to no other parties, including Greece.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reparations_for_World_War_II

(notwithstanding, Greece is normally counted as an ally during the war)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II

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