The German companies WERE thriving until Germany lost. And frankly, they still were thriving afterwards in the recovery...among them Siemens, Volkswagen and others. They still had plenty of cash in the bank after the war....and money stashed in places like Switzerland that were untouched.
So, S/L, are you suggesting that a nation that loses a war should have its industries raised to the ground and never be permitted to arise? Hardly good for 'the workers', I should have thought. Or perhaps you mean that they can arise but only under government control - which was, of course, the situation during Herr Hitler's regime!
But I wasn't wrong about German corporations, Ted. The factories were 'blitzed' (to quote a word!) into rubble. All the capital and investment in terms of plant and buildings, to say nothing of skilled workers, had been utterly destroyed. It was only after - and this will bring a smile to anyone who enjoys irony - American aid and an agreed debt relief plan that Germany was able to start its recovery - with the help of several tens of thousands of imported Turkish workers. Plus, of course, a strictly monetarist and free-market regime which encouraged businesses to grow. Of course, in East Germany under communist principles, the exact opposite took place!
There's a lesson there for anyone who is not totally blind!
By the way, Ted, off topic, but I am waiting eagerly for one of your SHLOCK-HORROR posters on the Gosnell trial, er, that's if, of course, you can actually find mention of it in your totally corrupted MSM!
America's aid to post-war Europe wasn't entirely altruistic. U.S. leadership was desperately trying to build up Europe as a bulwark against the Soviets. And incidentally, the U.S. reaped enormous rewards from Germany. The U.S. stole a staggering amount of German technology. For example, Operation Paperclip gave the U.S. enormously valuable technological know-how, which later made the moon shot possible.
re: >>"free-market regime"
The post-war German economic "miracle" had little to do with "free markets." Germany's economy was heavily regulated and carefully guided by technocrats who worked toward specific goals like boosting the nation's high-tech manufacturing export prowess. In fact, many of these policies remain in place to this day in Germany. Technocrats, not shareholders, have the final say on German economic policy. And it's been a hugely successful policy over the decades. For all the Anglo-American media glee over continental Europe's current woes, the fact is, Germany remains a world economic powerhouse, with a world-beating high-tech manufacturing base. Unlike the U.S. and Britain (which have been ravaged by years of simplistic "free market" policies) Germany still has a healthy middle class, strong social services, and a very high standard of living. Today's America, by contrast, is increasingly a Third World-like nation, with its crumbling public schools, its titanic trade and fiscal deficits, and its rotten-to-the-core, corrupt government that ONLY exists to serve the interests of the Rich and Powerful.
ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED. And neither will racist,homophobic, or misogynistic comments. I do not mind if you disagree, but make your case in a decent manner.
Amen. BTW, Smedley D. Butler's classic book, "War is a Racket" can be read online here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html
Have you ever looked at the photos of Germany cities at the end of WWII?
ReplyDeleteEr, that's "thriving"?
Halliburton certainly thrived during the Iraq-Afghanistan wars -- to the tune of $39.5 billion.
ReplyDeleteThe German companies WERE thriving until Germany lost. And frankly, they still were thriving afterwards in the recovery...among them Siemens, Volkswagen and others. They still had plenty of cash in the bank after the war....and money stashed in places like Switzerland that were untouched.
ReplyDeleteSo, S/L, are you suggesting that a nation that loses a war should have its industries raised to the ground and never be permitted to arise? Hardly good for 'the workers', I should have thought. Or perhaps you mean that they can arise but only under government control - which was, of course, the situation during Herr Hitler's regime!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get that from S/L's comment -- only that you were wrong about the German corporations.
ReplyDeleteBut I wasn't wrong about German corporations, Ted. The factories were 'blitzed' (to quote a word!) into rubble. All the capital and investment in terms of plant and buildings, to say nothing of skilled workers, had been utterly destroyed. It was only after - and this will bring a smile to anyone who enjoys irony - American aid and an agreed debt relief plan that Germany was able to start its recovery - with the help of several tens of thousands of imported Turkish workers. Plus, of course, a strictly monetarist and free-market regime which encouraged businesses to grow. Of course, in East Germany under communist principles, the exact opposite took place!
ReplyDeleteThere's a lesson there for anyone who is not totally blind!
By the way, Ted, off topic, but I am waiting eagerly for one of your SHLOCK-HORROR posters on the Gosnell trial, er, that's if, of course, you can actually find mention of it in your totally corrupted MSM!
re:
ReplyDelete>>"American aid"
America's aid to post-war Europe wasn't entirely altruistic. U.S. leadership was desperately trying to build up Europe as a bulwark against the Soviets. And incidentally, the U.S. reaped enormous rewards from Germany. The U.S. stole a staggering amount of German technology. For example, Operation Paperclip gave the U.S. enormously valuable technological know-how, which later made the moon shot possible.
re:
>>"free-market regime"
The post-war German economic "miracle" had little to do with "free markets." Germany's economy was heavily regulated and carefully guided by technocrats who worked toward specific goals like boosting the nation's high-tech manufacturing export prowess. In fact, many of these policies remain in place to this day in Germany. Technocrats, not shareholders, have the final say on German economic policy. And it's been a hugely successful policy over the decades. For all the Anglo-American media glee over continental Europe's current woes, the fact is, Germany remains a world economic powerhouse, with a world-beating high-tech manufacturing base. Unlike the U.S. and Britain (which have been ravaged by years of simplistic "free market" policies) Germany still has a healthy middle class, strong social services, and a very high standard of living. Today's America, by contrast, is increasingly a Third World-like nation, with its crumbling public schools, its titanic trade and fiscal deficits, and its rotten-to-the-core, corrupt government that ONLY exists to serve the interests of the Rich and Powerful.