Q&A: Germany and the Greek debt crisis
Albrecht Ritschl of the London School of Economics says Germans should remember their status as postwar debtors when offering advice to Greece, where memories of Nazi atrocities still sting.
Tensions between Germany and Greece are one side effect of the Greek debt crisis. Germany is the country that shoulders the biggest part of the financial aid Greece is receiving from the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Consequently, some German politicians and parts of the media feel entitled to tell Greece what should be done – and Greeks don't seem to like it, judging by the anti-German slogans shown on banners and placards at demonstrations in Athens. Given Germany's history – not just its military one but its history as a debtor – Germans should think again before they criticize, says Albrecht Ritschl, professor of economic history at the London School of Economics, in an interview with the Monitor's Michael Steininger.
Christian Science Monitor
