Germany to Finish Paying Reparations for WWI Sunday

Germans take paying what they owe seriously.

Being the WWI nut that I am, I'm ashamed I didn't know it was still in the process of being paid off 'til today.

So I just heard, too. Amazing how my government manages to supprise me with new ways of throwing away our tax money every week.

Why do you think it's a waste, out of curiousity?

I can't believe they actually paid that. And that other countries let them.

^Why do you think it's not? We're throwing money on some dead-and-done issue. We just racked up a huge defecit (highest ever) and political stunts like that should be the first things to be put on hold.

Edit: Ok, it's "just" a few million and they probably didn't want to quit paying so close to the finish line when the recession set in, but still.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:24:57 AM by DasAuto

^^I'd be proud to be a German right now. I mean, history pretty much acknowledges that the reparations were downright robbery, yet you still paid them off. That's kind of Bad Ass man. Oh no, France and Great Britain, we Germans are going to make you sit there and take this money, even if by now its a huge embarrassment to you, because we are GERMANS dammit, and Germans always make good on their promises!

...well, the ones that don't involve invading other countries, at any rate...but I swear that was just a phase and we are totally over it!

^Also its a bond maturing, so essentially this was paid for a long time ago. Like, twenty or so years ago.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:25:03 AM by Bioelectricclam

It's kind of ironic considering that most historians now acknowledge that the ruinous reparations that Germany was made to pay were a significant motivating factor for World War Two. Still, props to the Germans for honoring their commitments.

Thanks Germany, but you really really didn't need to do that. You don't have to honour a commitment if its forced on you.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:27:54 AM by GameChainsaw

/shrug Fair or unfair, it's good that it's going to be over and done with, even though I, and probably many others, didn't realize it wasn't over and done with. Go Germany for honoring your debts.

^That's... an odd way of putting it. You're essentially saying that the loser of a war should get to ignore treaty stipulations. That's.. a no. International politics doesn't work that way.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:31:07 AM by Bur

Said "stipulations" were essentially blame-gaming and extortion.

^^^^^ Proud that our country is run by spineless idiots? Nah.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:36:42 AM by DasAuto

Not arguing that, it was a very badly done document and written in ink made of spite. But a state cannot simply go "Naaaah, I think I'll just go ahead and ignore this" after a treaty has been ratified.

They get to ignore treaty stipulations if they can make it stick. Since most losing sides can't make it stick, it's a moot point.

A deal made by the sword can be equally undone by the sword. No one would have had either the strength or, more importantly, the heart to force Germany to pay that money, and so Germany had every right to rip the deal right up.

Hell, I for one wouldn't even want money garnered from such a dirty treaty. Its Old Shame for Britain and France.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:42:52 AM by GameChainsaw

^^^ Why not. Happens quite often that treaties get "undone" by one side. They are Treaties, not laws. You signed in you can sign out.

edited 29th Sep '10 7:47:47 AM by DasAuto

Isn't it a fact that the Triple Alliance dumped all of the blame on Germany despite the entire war being the fault of a group of assassins?

(Yes, I'm aware it wasn't the WHOLE alliance.)

And yet they STILL paid the money for, what reason exactly? Isn't it a bit more important to support their own nation than it is to fulfill a nonsense treaty that most people agree was the stupidest thing ever written?

edited 29th Sep '10 7:56:17 AM by Brutal

We seem to be opperating under different understandings of what a treaty is. I'm under the impression that a treaty is a contract under international law. To be honest, I can't remember if the Treaty of Versailles allowed for withdrawal or not, but some treaties are written so a state cannot withdraw.

Amenedments and revisions are another beast entirely and that is perhaps what should have been done.

The UN has proven that laws are only as firm as the people who enforce them. No one wants to enforce the treaty any more? It doesn't stand. Thats how reality works.

Laws only matter if somebody enforces them. Hence, "lawful" is secondary to "enforceable". Besides which, there's plenty of treaties that should be ignored.

As they say, don't make a promise you can't keep. And to add an addendum to that, if the situation changes, don't hold to old bonds that don't apply any more.

There's a reason courts will ignore claims of guilt from someone who has been threatened. It's the same reason why Germany shouldn't be paying off the treaty when the only other option was annihilation.

Indeed, for what good is an agreement if noone enforces it? The moral high ground of having stuck to your word and all the rules is worth nothing. Just ask the Tibetans. They'll never be independant again because China has a huge army, nukes and a veto in the UN securtiy council.

ninja'd

edited 29th Sep '10 8:03:37 AM by DasAuto

My take is "Good for Germany for finishing paying it off. Shame, shame, shame to Britain and France for not writing off the balance long ago."

edited 29th Sep '10 8:51:13 AM by Madrugada

I always assumed it had been written off. So, probably, did most of the electorate.

Apparently our politicians (the bastards) had other ideas.

EDIT: This has completely discredited the main parties in my eyes. I was already leaning Lib Dem, this has confirmed it on account of there being no other untried candidate.

edited 29th Sep '10 9:02:08 AM by GameChainsaw