It’s taken a bit longer than expected, but WWI is officially over. I know what you’re thinking; didn’t the first World War end in 1919 when Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the others sign the Treaty of Versailles with the US, British, and French in that train car? Well yes and no. The hostilities officially ended, but as part of the armistice, the Germans had to pay reparations to the French, British, and Americans for their actions during the war. Germany, with a last payment of $94 million dollars (or 59.5 million pounds) has officially paid off WWI.
“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. The payments would have been finished a long time ago, had it not been for a little event called World War II. Still, WWI veterans can now rest easy, as their conflict is officially at an end. Most of the money has ended up in the hands of private individuals, pension funds, and corporations who bought the debt bonds after the war.
Still, at least Germany paid their debts. It might have taken them 92 years, but finally we can move on from the Great War, even if we are still using WWI technology in our hybrid cars.
Tags: Treaty of Versailles, reparations, war reparations, Germany pays off war reparations for WWI, World War One officially ends, WWI officially ends, the end of WWI
