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Germany pays off reparations for WWI

By George Mathis
Sept 29, 2010

Ninety-one years after signing the Versailles Treaty to end World War I, Germany will pay off its war reparations debt, according to an article on Der Spiegel's website.

The final payment, about $95 million, will be made Monday, the 20th anniversary of German unification.

The reparations, equivalent to $400 billion today, bankrupted Germany in the 1920s. Adolf Hitler used Germany's faltering economy and the public's resentment of the treaty to fuel his rise to power.

About the Author

George Mathis has worked in the AJC newsroom since 1999 in a variety of roles including editing local news, blogger and columnist.

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