|!> Yes the Germans did a lot of damage in some cities. However from |!1941 |!> onwards the allies inflicted much more damage on German cities and |!the |!> German people they ever did here. |!>
|!> The big difference, which you acknowledge, is that they were far |!more |!> successful in rebuilding than we were. And that's down to us. |!>
|!> And finally they're still building much better houses than we do at |!> prices equivalent or less than ours. |!>
|!>
|!> Graham |! |!They didn't have to repay the US for 'lend lease' which we have only |!just managed to do, and masses of funds were poured into Germany to |!rebuild by the US to stop a perceived communist threat from Russia. |!The US screwed us both during and after the war to try and break down |!the Commonwealth so that they could increase their sphere of |!influence, and they were entirely sucessful.
But we did not have to repay all the money for aid received in the Marshall plan
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>>RepaymentThe Organization for European Economic Cooperation had taken the leading role in allocating funds, and the ECA arranged for the transfer of the goods. The American supplier was paid in dollars, which were credited against the appropriate European Recovery Program funds. The European recipient, however, was not given the goods as a gift, but had to pay for them (though not necessarily at once, on credit etc.) in local currency, which was then deposited by the government in a counterpart fund. This money, in turn, could be used by the ERP countries for further investment projects.
Most of the participating ERP governments were aware from the beginning that they would never have to return the counterpart fund money to the U.S.; it was eventually absorbed into their national budgets and "disappeared." Originally the total American aid to Germany (in contrast to grants given to other countries in Europe) had to be repaid. But under the London debts agreement of 1953, the repayable amount was reduced to about $1 billion. Aid granted after 1 July 1951 amounted to around $270 million, of which Germany had to repay $16.9 million to the Washington Export-Import Bank. In reality, Germany did not know until 1953 exactly how much money it would have to pay back to the U.S., and insisted that money was given out only in the form of interest-bearing loans ? a revolving system ensuring the funds would grow rather than shrink. A lending bank was charged with overseeing the program. European Recovery Program loans were mostly used to support small- and medium-sized businesses. Germany paid the U.S. back in installments (the last check was handed over in June 1971). However, the money was not paid from the ERP fund, but from the central government budget.