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Quite true, not sure why you're down-voted. Colonial empires managed to get away extremely lightly, with respect to putting right their wrongs. Compare that to
by osrec 4y ago
Quite true, not sure why you're down-voted. Colonial empires managed to get away extremely lightly, with respect to putting right their wrongs.
Compare that to Nazi Germany, where reparations were paid in significant quantities, and kids in schools are still taught to be embarrassed by that section of their country's history. Whereas you get the sense that Britain is still, in some ways, proud of its rather ruthless and barbaric empire.
Well, it was a long time ago, so why bring up the atrocities now, eh? Thanks for the wealth, and here are a few meaningless pennies in aid. You can consider us your heroes now. /s
- nradov 4y agoShould Mali also pay reparations to Ghana over the atrocities they committed during 13th century wars of conquest?
- osrec 4y agoYour comment is somewhat meaningless in the context. But yes, in general, I believe that if you commit or benefit from atrocities, you should be held accountable. Even if it was your grandfather that murdered people and you inherit the wealth he looted, you should at the very least give that wealth back once you realise that it was wrong, especially if the people you looted from are dying from lack of resources. Also, just in terms of numbers, the British empire was pretty insane in terms of the quantity of people it murdered, both directly and indirectly. The number is much higher than those murdered by the Nazis, even if it happened over a longer period. They should certainly be held accountable, at the very least.
- nradov 4y ago[flagged]
- glandium 4y agoHow far back should we go? Alexander the Great?
- osrec 4y agoI guess then in your opinion what the Nazis did was fair game, and they should not have had to pay reparations either? What, in your opinion, is the cutoff point in time, where sins are universally absolved? Edit: It's clearly a subjective topic, but there are significant impacts felt the world over due to the British empire. I'm not sure you can say the same of Alexander the Great. People are directly and significantly affected to this day by the actions of the British. I guess the nature and extent of the impact would need to be decided by a court, but it'll always be an imperfect science. That doesn't mean it's unnecessary.
- rayiner 4y agoThe nazis paid reparations in the lifetime of the people affected.
- ashwagary 4y agoThe US and British strategy is to wait out the plundered to avoid repayment. For this reason, Germans deserve a lot more respect. Reparations has been a serious topic of discussion since the late 1800s in the case of the American enslaved populations and it still hasn't been done.
- Bayart 4y agoConsidering a lot of the richest people in Britain still have Norman names, I think the « French reparations » is something the British should ask from their own aristocracy.
- benj111 4y agoSo are the Italians going to pay reparations to the British for the Roman occupation? When you say "the British should be held accountable" all those individuals are dead and gone. It's a bit Catholic to hold the children accountable for the sins of the father. Its unlikely my forefathers even had the vote at that time. So please explain how I'm accountable again?
- rayiner 4y agoAnd Hindus should demand reparations from Muslims for the 800 years of colonization before the British. That’ll go over great.
- stu432 4y agoYou mean West Germany paid a fraction of what they received under the Marshall plan to Israel, and Israel alone. Doesn't really seem to put right the slaughtering they did all across Europe including the slaughtering they did to their own who weren't considered good enough.
- DocTomoe 4y agoThere were more reparations paid by West Germany, mostly by losing territory and by dismantling of surviving industry, taking industrial products, intellectual property and rail lines. There also were payments to Poland, Greece and Yugoslavia.