Quote:
Originally Posted by svandamme
Keep in mind that UK apart from Marshal plan support and loans also had the Lend-Lease dept to repay.
Germany did not accrue any such debt during the war as they pretty much robbed Europe to fund their side of the war.. (and were ultimately outspent by the US and UK)
They did however get hammered by reparations, but those got taken in the form of dismantled factories and german forced labor..
They did not carry as much debt as the UK did. The German forced labor bit , was a good thing for them as those mouths did not have to be fed at home. less unemployment and such.
And in 1953 their debt got reshuffled, and reparration dismantaling stopped as Germany became the front line for the Cold War againt the russians..
A lot of US bases were built which did good for their cash flow as well.
UK might have in the "won the war" camp, but economically they got a **** deal. They went from WW2 to Cold War spending, independence of colonies and in the end They payed off all their debts.
 |
Yea, the USA spent lots of money and we lost a lot of men. But the war was never fought HERE. I remember a story I read years ago about a man that had lived in post WW2 Europe, and then Great Brittan before getting a job that sent him to the USA working for GM.
He was floored over the wealth and lifestyle of post WW2 USA. He was used to little tiny pitiful cars and expensive gas. He was picked up at the airport in a 1959 Cadillac convertible and was simply flabbergasted. He was taken to the managers home that was a large family and tons of food and had a steak grilled in the back yard. He was just overwhelmed.
