2012-02-03, 12:05 | Link #19381 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
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UN court rules against Italy over WWII compensation
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2012-02-03, 12:54 | Link #19384 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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The United States and Soviet Union spent a lot of money there as East and West Germany was the "front line" in the potential ground war in Europe should a World War III happen. Also it might have been a "our Germany is better than your Germany" situation from about the 1950s or 60s to reunification.
Also Germans...stereotyped as efficient since at least the days of Bismarck's Second Reich. Center of mainland Europe's industrialization and rival to Britian's industrial might around the time the Americans also started doing the same thing (rivalling Britian in industry). Teddy knew we couldn't match the UK in 1905, but we could match Germany...so we did. Then the Great War and later Second World War happened. Both Germany and UK fell into a bad state while the US paided the bills and kept going. But since then...things change.
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2012-02-03, 12:58 | Link #19385 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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And despite popular perception, China CANNOT lend a single cent to anyone. Their central banks are awashed with bonds.
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2012-02-03, 13:16 | Link #19387 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
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While it is the biggest European economy, it is far from being the richest European country. It has been in demise since the 80s or 90s (even if the "raw" current numbers look good, lowest unemployment rate since 20 years, 2011 again new record for exports: over 1 Trillion Euro, etc.). Austria, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and a few other countries are more wealthy.
And "tens of billions of dollars in reparations" doesn't really cut it: Quote:
Germany received a total of 1.4 Billion US dollars. Today those means are still existent and have reached about 12 Billion Euro. Not to speak of losing 25% of its land to mostly Poland and Russia, final secession of Austria, dividing Germany into two states for decades (later costs of re-unification) etc. Then we have Germany paying billions of Euro every year to other EU countries, now additionally guaranteeing and paying the debt of the other countries (and them demanding more and more, currently large pressure by Italy and France to implement Euro bonds). What has been rather low is compensation for individuals, like forced labor workers, concentration camp inmates etc. They could certainly invest and guarantee like Germany does, couldn't they? (Not implying that it's a good idea for them, just saying it would be possible.) Last edited by sneaker; 2012-02-03 at 13:43. |
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2012-02-03, 13:24 | Link #19388 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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And the interest rate added to the bonds as they are treated as real money......my head hurts, I can't think anymore.
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2012-02-03, 13:25 | Link #19389 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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How much was spent for other things though? Allied Military bases spend into the economy (not sure about the Soviet side, but they need support too), not only to support the bases, but also the infrustructure needed to support the any towns that built up around those bases. Pressure to rebuild the industry (as least on the West side) seems to have been a factor as well. Germany supplies pretty much all its own military needs and exports items for a while now (Israel has a few German built submarines for example). Japan was using American designs for a very long time while Germany decided to go it on their own.
If not, than how are they "on top" so to speak, without being the wealthiest?
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2012-02-03, 13:35 | Link #19390 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
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The only other European countries that have populations in the same order of magnitude are France, the UK and Russia, and all those are poorer than Germany, thus still making Germany the biggest European economy. Military bases brought money yes, but hardly enough to explain why Germany has become that rich despite being in ruins in 1945. That has more to do with the German society, work ethic, education etc. (of that time) than anything else. Even all that destruction couldn't make it a modern day Afghanistan, though quite a few Allies wanted to make it into a purely agricultural country, esp. France. |
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2012-02-03, 13:58 | Link #19391 | |
Dai-Youkai
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vienna
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This is why the concept of division of labour in a society developed. You cant be self suficient in everything and you dont need to be. There are people who will do things for you, like slaughtering a chicken.... which I personally couldnt, being a girl wink wink. But I sure like chicken meat. I dont see anything wrong with it either. |
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2012-02-03, 15:59 | Link #19392 |
temporary safeguard
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Germany
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lol how did we get to this topic?
Oh.. hm.. well if they want money from Germany they would have to either try in a German court, or get their politicians to do something on an international level. Money: The whole EU debt crisis is a financial thing. The impact on daily life here, or even German economy is pretty unclear to me. Currently economy is doing well. For someone like me (I'm an engineer) there are absolutely no problems, so all the horror stories of economic collapse seem surreal right now. We produce stuff and we want others to buy it. We love the EU, it's our most important market. That's why we are ok with paying to keep it going, we are profiting greatly from it. That's really all our foreign policy is about: buy our stuff! If Merkel is traveling around the world like now, she's got guys from Siemens, Bayer, ThyssenKrupp ect with her. And usually headlines of her visiting some country mention things like "Country X agreed to buy Y billions worth of our stuff!". And then everyone goes "Yayyyy Merkel!!"... Our politicians are traveling salesmen. This time she tried to make India buy our Eurofighters (well they are EU products, but we have a part in it). But she failed and they want to buy french stuff instead. Booh Last edited by Dhomochevsky; 2012-02-03 at 16:10. |
2012-02-03, 16:22 | Link #19393 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
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The EU does not have anything to do with it IIRC. |
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2012-02-03, 16:34 | Link #19394 |
temporary safeguard
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Germany
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Eurofighter are a product of the Eurofighter Consortium which consists of various EU nations.
Italy, UK, Spain and Germany have the biggest parts in it. Germany's part is about 1/3 with EADS. Notably France is not invloved, as they have their own planes and are competing with them. Edit: Yes, EU members. Sorry if that was unclear. |
2012-02-03, 23:17 | Link #19396 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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HK's China policies spur clash with mainland cousins
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8120CF20120203
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2012-02-04, 01:44 | Link #19397 | |
Um-Shmum
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: at GNR, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts
Age: 39
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U.N. Security Council to meet on Syria as deaths mount
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/03/wo...html?hpt=hp_t2 Quote:
this is just today. holy crap.
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2012-02-04, 02:48 | Link #19398 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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2012-02-04, 02:58 | Link #19399 | |
Um-Shmum
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: at GNR, bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts
Age: 39
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still, over 200 dead in one day, thats kinda excessive, even for Assad.
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2012-02-04, 03:38 | Link #19400 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Looks rather like the Syrian overlords are just emptying out their ordnance stores in a general free-for-all. Shoot at them all for a while... :P
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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