World War I

[Azazello1313]

On September 26, 2010 — 92 years after the WWI officially ended — Germany made her last payment of $94 million in reparations “to private individuals, pension funds and corporations holding debenture bonds as agreed under the Treaty of Versailles.”

 

As Keynes rightly predicted, the unreasonably high French demands for financial reparations led to German economic weakness. The end result was hyperinflation, which was one of the principal causes of Hitler’s rise to power and the start of the Second World War. In spite of losing two world wars, Germany did eventually become the most powerful nation in Europe — through trade, capitalism and German ingenuity.

[Ursa Majoris]

In spite of losing two world wars, Germany did eventually become the most powerful nation in Europe — through trade, capitalism and German ingenuity.

 

And the much more sensible post-WW2 option of the Marshall Plan instead of reparations, plus the division of Germany into two, plus the four major occupying forces.

[Pope Flick]

yeah, that last sentence of Az's quote is seriously dumb.

[Azazello1313]

And the much more sensible post-WW2 option of the Marshall Plan instead of reparations, plus the division of Germany into two, plus the four major occupying forces.

 

how does slicing into two for 45 years help make it the most powerful nation in europe?

[TimC]

Meh, if the rest of Europe wasn't so lazy and useless....Germany is the only country in that pitiful area that shows any get up and go....that's why they're considered the best European country.

[Ursa Majoris]

how does slicing into two for 45 years help make it the most powerful nation in europe?

Along with the occupation, reducing to zero the chance of it rearming for a third attempt, thus allowing it to focus on recovery. Think - if you could lop off a quarter of the USA and focus only on the remaining 75%, wouldn't you do better? The bit that went to the Russians and became East Germany was also the least productive relatively speaking.

[TimC]

Think - if you could lop off a quarter of the USA

 

Ooooh, if we could only lop off the Southeast quarter....we'd be doing so much better.

[Ursa Majoris]

Ooooh, if we could only lop off the Southeast quarter....we'd be doing so much better.

Certainly the other 75% of us would.

[Azazello1313]

Along with the occupation, reducing to zero the chance of it rearming for a third attempt, thus allowing it to focus on recovery.

 

well that is true of virtually all of western europe post wwii (and japan). they were all under our umbrella. no more so for germany.

 

Think - if you could lop off a quarter of the USA and focus only on the remaining 75%, wouldn't you do better?

 

I'm not sure that is obvious. you have 25% less burden, but you also have 25% less people and resources to draw from. it's pretty much a net wash. is there some evidence that relatively smaller states inherently function better than large states? I've heard such arguments, usually offered in favor of devolving power from the (US) federal government to the states. but again, here we're talking about this division making germany "the most powerful nation in europe" -- and splitting in half usually makes you far LESS powerful relative to other countries.

 

The bit that went to the Russians and became East Germany was also the least productive relatively speaking.

 

you may be putting the cart before the horse here. was it markedly less productive before the war, or did it become so under their soviet planned economy?

Edited September 29, 2010 by Azazello1313