Should Germany pay Greece reparations for World War II?

[The Mikado]

What is this question?

The imposition of any indemnities should have been done in 1945 as part of the peace treaty. I doubt I would object to indemnities in that context (East Germany's role as a satellite/buffer zone for the USSR and the similar role for West Germany and NATO and the resultant costs of subsidizing those foreign armies are a de facto reparation of sorts anyway). The imposition of new indemnities 70 (!) years later is absurd and immoral.

[politicus]

What is this question?

The imposition of any indemnities should have been done in 1945 as part of the peace treaty. I doubt I would object to indemnities in that context (East Germany's role as a satellite/buffer zone for the USSR and the similar role for West Germany and NATO and the resultant costs of subsidizing those foreign armies are a de facto reparation of sorts anyway). The imposition of new indemnities 70 (!) years later is absurd and immoral.

1) That only applies to states - not claims by survivors of massacres.

2) While the OP uses the word reparations the actual issue raised by the Greek government does not deal with general reparations, but with money stolen from the Greek national bank.

3) In 1945 Greece was involved in a civil war and in no position to address the issue. Later on Germany was in too strong a position for Greece to get more than partial compensation, but the claim has never been waivered by the Greeks.

4) As you can see some German politicians do not find it absurd or immoral.

[ingemann]

BTW the legitimate claim Greece may or may not have is on 11 (American) billion Euro (DR orientering 20/3 2015) with interest. The Greek debt on the other hand is 346,8 billion Euro, their annual payment of interest is 2,6% of the GDP (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11372369/Three-myths-about-Greeces-enormous-debt-mountain.html), so around 4,5-5 billion Euro annual. This mean that even if Germany give Greece reparation, for the one thing where Greece may have a claim, it will cover two to two and half year payment of interests.

[Velasco]

If anybody is interested in what is this question about, you may find this relevant:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/greek-study-provides-evidence-of-forced-loans-to-nazis-a-1024762.html

[politicus]

Hasn't the Greek left always supported pressuring the German government into paying more substantial reparations for World War II?

Yes.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Hasn't the Greek left always supported pressuring the German government into paying more substantial reparations for World War II?

Yes.

With this in mind, I don't understand the faux outrage directed against the Greek left.

[ag]

If Greece agrees to become a German protectorate, with the entire executive power in the hands of a Bundestag-appointed governor for the next 99 years, this may be considered

Also, once Greece pays the reparations to Persia for the Macedon invasion.

[ingemann]

If Greece agrees to become a German protectorate, with the entire executive power in the hands of a Bundestag-appointed governor for the next 99 years, this may be considered

I really doubt anyone in Berlin want the headache of running Greece, they are still dealing with bringing East Germany up to modern standards.

[ag]

If Greece agrees to become a German protectorate, with the entire executive power in the hands of a Bundestag-appointed governor for the next 99 years, this may be considered

I really doubt anyone in Berlin want the headache of running Greece, they are still dealing with bringing East Germany up to modern standards.

Unlike Berlin, Athens would not be represented in the Bundestag. So, no issue of bringing it to modern standards should arise.

Also, would Greece consider paying the indemnity to Persia for the the Macedon invasion?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

More to the point, what about the invasion of Turkey in the early 1920s?

[politicus]

More to the point, what about the invasion of Turkey in the early 1920s?

Since everybody is repeating what has already been said earlier in this thread (in your case by no other than your fellow Brit Cassius), I will just quote my old answer:

This claim is, of course, coming from the country that committed numerous and well-documented atrocities during its war with Turkey in the 1920's. Have the Greeks paid any reparations to the people of Anatolia?

Turks committed an equal amount of atrocities towards Greeks, so that would cancel each other out and compensation should have been paid by the two states to their own + no survivors alive. Not a relevant parallel.

And the Greeks did not steal funds from the Turkish national bank, which is the biggest part of the claim.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Sure, but it was still a (gasp!) War of Aggression was it not?

But I have a better idea. Britain steps manfully into the breach: we offer to write off a certain amount of Greek debt in order for the British Museum keeping the Elgin Marbles. It's a win win!