First World War officially ends - Polidicks

[QUOTE][B]The First World War will officially end on Sunday, 92 years after the guns fell silent, when Germany pays off the last chunk of reparations imposed on it by the Allies. [/B] The final payment of £59.5 million, writes off the crippling debt that was the price for one world war and laid the foundations for another. [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/"]Germany[/URL] was forced to pay the reparations at the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 as compensation to the war-ravaged nations of [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium/"]Belgium[/URL] and [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/"]France[/URL] and to pay the Allies some of the costs of waging what was then the bloodiest conflict in history, leaving nearly ten million soldiers dead. The initial sum agreed upon for war damages in 1919 was 226 billion Reichsmarks, a sum later reduced to 132 billion, £22 billion at the time. The bill would have been settled much earlier had Adolf Hitler not reneged on reparations during his reign. Hatred of the settlement agreed at Versailles, which crippled Germany as it tried to shape itself into a democracy following armistice, was of significant importance in propelling the Nazis to power. "On Sunday the last bill is due and the First World War finally, financially at least, terminates for Germany," said Bild, the country's biggest selling newspaper. Most of the money goes to private individuals, pension funds and corporations holding debenture bonds as agreed under the Treaty of Versailles, where Germany was made to sign the 'war guilt' clause, accepting blame for the war. France, which had been ravaged by the war, pushed hardest for the steepest possible fiscal punishment for Germany. The principal representative of the British Treasury at the Paris Peace Conference, John Maynard Keynes, resigned in June 1919 in protest at the scale of the demands. "Germany will not be able to formulate correct policy if it cannot finance itself,' he warned. When the Wall Street Crash came in 1929, the Weimar Republic spiralled into debt. Four years later, Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. [/QUOTE][URL]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/8029948/First-World-War-officially-ends.html[/URL] Rated clocks? Is this supposed to be some kind of dumb "Yeh it finished 92 year sago coolface" joke?

Oh thank god. [editline]01:29AM[/editline] I was worried some Krauts might attempt a surprise attack.

Awesome! Good to hear. [B]Edit:[/B] Fun fact: Apparently the word Kraut was made in 1918, a year before the agreement the OP mentions was made.

226 billion Reichsmarks was roughly $949,200,000,000 at the time :aaa: and in regards to inflation, that would be about $11,669,884,033,226.79 today; yow

[QUOTE=QuadCoreGman;25118532]226 billion Reichsmarks was roughly $949,200,000,000 at the time :aaa: and in regards to inflation, that would be about $11,669,884,033,226.79 today; yow[/QUOTE] I wonder what the last payment was and how much that would've been back then compared to today.

Why didn't they just let them off after the end of the Second World War? It wasn't their fault to begin with, either.

[QUOTE=JeffAndersen;25118546]I wonder what the last payment was and how much that would've been back then compared to today.[/QUOTE] [quote]The final payment of £59.5 million,[/quote] ?

About damn time.

Just because Germany is done paying it's debts doesn't mean that the war is over, the article said that the war is over 'From a financial standpoint', not a military one, and it in the case, WWI finished the second the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Fun Fact, the Korean War is still being fought, making it 60 years old.

They should have dropped these stupid reparations, why should modern Germany suffer for something that Germany didn't even start in the first place.

I love how it was the Serbians, aka the Allies that started the war, but almost everyone believes that Germany was the belligerent.

[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;25118817]I love how it was the Serbians, aka the Allies that started the war, but almost everyone believes that Germany was the belligerent.[/QUOTE] Actually it was Belgium using a Serbian secret society.

[QUOTE=tyanet;25118776]Fun Fact, the Korean War [b]is still being fought[/b], making it 60 years old.[/QUOTE] No, there is a cease fire.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;25118786]They should have dropped these stupid reparations, why should modern Germany suffer for something that Germany didn't even start in the first place.[/QUOTE]As I left the battleground, I took one last look at Germany; and he made a face at me.

[QUOTE=marlkarxv2;25118867]No, there is a cease fire.[/QUOTE]But it never officially ended.

Reminds me of that Laurel and Hardy movie. [img]http://www.zuguide.com/image/Block-Heads.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=VeryNiceGuy;25118871]As I left the battleground, I took one last look at Germany; and he made a face at me.[/QUOTE] This guy knows what he's talkin' 'bout.

[QUOTE=Killer900;25118893]But it never officially ended.[/QUOTE] Yes, but it is not being 'fought'.

Uhh I thought the reparations in 1919 was set at £6.6 Billion, later reduced to £2.2 Billion.

[QUOTE=Cookies114;25118950]Uhh I thought the reparations in 1919 was set at £6.6 Billion, later reduced to £2.2 Billion.[/QUOTE] Inflation I'd assume.

[QUOTE=marlkarxv2;25118867]No, there is a cease fire.[/QUOTE] Ceasefire doesn't mean that the war isn't over. It's like taking a timeout, just because you're taking a break doesn't mean that you're not playing the game anymore.

[quote]Four years later, Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany[/quote]Bullshit he was appointed by Hindenburg. And you Brits accuse Americans of being stupid. I love the box fort guys, I really do. [url]http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/named.htm[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_rise_to_power[/url] [url]http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0403a.asp[/url] [url]http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_year_was_hitler_appointed_chancellor[/url] [url]http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,745087,00.html[/url] Suck my dick.

[QUOTE=tyanet;25119008]Ceasefire doesn't mean that the war isn't over. It's like taking a timeout, just because you're taking a break doesn't mean that you're not playing the game anymore.[/QUOTE] I never said the war was over. I simply said it isn't being fought (at the moment). Fought = fighting, and there is no fighting.

[QUOTE=RBM11;25119037]Bullshit he was appointed by Hindenburg. And you Brits accuse Americans of being stupid.[/QUOTE] I thought he pretty much rigged his way in Also, what about WW2, do they have to pay for that too? I'd assume that'd be a lot more too

[QUOTE=RBM11;25119037]Bullshit he was appointed by Hindenburg. And you Brits accuse Americans of being stupid.[/QUOTE] //deskface//

I always thought it was unfair that the Germans had their military stripped and had to pay the debt of the war.

[QUOTE=RBM11;25119037]Bullshit he was appointed by Hindenburg. And you Brits accuse Americans of being stupid.[/QUOTE] hey brits make good tea! and when has the british accused americans of being stupid?...... oh yeah because we are that dumb

[QUOTE=marlkarxv2;25118867]No, there is a cease fire.[/QUOTE] By military law, a ceasefire is literally just that - a cease in the firing. There are, however, no political attachments to this and the ceasefire only affects the combat, not the actual status of the war. In the case of the Korean War, the ceasefire was instigated - which halted the fighting - but was not followed up by a peace treaty - which would de jure end the war. In actuality, it has only ended de facto and technically the USA and it's allies are still at war with North Korea and China.

War never ends. There are just less people fighting.

Dammit Wilson, you said that you would get us out of the war by Christmas.