Since 1951, Germany has made a concerted effort to compensate victims of the Nazi-era including restitution for hardship, loss of property, and persecution. Chancellor Konrad Adenauer stated on September 27, 1951, “In our name, unspeakable crimes have been committed and they demand restitution, both moral and material for the persons and properties of the Jews who have been so seriously harmed…” German restitution continued for decades and was revived after reunification.
Germany and Israel
The May 26, 1952 “Treaty on Germany,” which was designed, in part, to transition Western Germany into an unoccupied state, included restitution obligations. The subsequent “Luxembourg Agreement” of September 10, 1952, obligated the Federal Republic of Germany to make payments to the state of Israel totaling 3 billion Deutsch Mark (currency of Germany prior to the Euro).
Under separate policies enacted in the 1980s, “hardship” payments of 5,000 DM were issued to individuals that had suffered persecution under the Nazi regime. According to the German Information Center, between October 1953 and December 1987, 4,384,138 claims were submitted and total payments were 72.6 billion DM.
Restitution to Various Groups
Specific laws were enacted to compensate property losses as well as lump sum payments to artists, forced laborers, and even German widows who were the victims of Allied bombings and had lost everything. Lost property restitution alone totaled 4 billion DM.
Restitution to Occupied Countries during the Nazi Era
Between 1959 and 1993, sixteen countries received a total of 2.376 Billion DM. Poland received the most: 500 Million DM in 1991, paid to the “Foundation for German-Polish Reconciliation.” Since 1991, The Federal Republic has increased payments tied to wartime atrocities.
The most recent countries receiving restitution were those that emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, such as Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine.
Even Austria received over 100 million DM in compensation, despite the fact that Austrians willingly joined the Third Reich and supplied a significant number of SS and Concentration Camp guards.
Return of Looted Art
Restitution is far more than monetary compensation. Although other countries have not reciprocated, notably Russia and Poland, the Federal Republic has made every effort to return looted art to the rightful owners.
Some looted art may never be recovered, such as the fabled “Amber Room” in the Catherine Palace outside of St. Petersburg. Originally a gift from Frederick the Great, the room was looted by German troops during the Russian invasion and never seen again, although artifacts from the room have been recovered.
In 1979 the Soviet government began the arduous work of restoration. It was not completed until 2003 but with substantial financial assistance of both the Germany government and private companies. The original room contained six tons of amber and was valued at 175 million US dollars. German Chancellor Schroeder attended the unveiling of the replica.
Restitution as Education
German students are still obligated to visit a Concentration Camp, many of which stand as reminders of the deranged past. Museums, such as the consortium of Nuremberg museums, have established learning centers to educate all peoples about the Holocaust and to provide a rationale as to how those events could have happened.
Restitution involves historical transparency as well as an openness to confront and freely discuss. If there is such a thing as national atonement, restitution is the penance, an action including financial and material compensation, as well as on-going dialogue.
Sources:
- German Information Center, New York, NY
- Documents on Germany, (1944-1961) Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate (New York, Greenwood Press, 1968)
- James E. Held, “Das Bernsteinzimmer,” German Life, April/May 2009
Join the Conversation