Hello, I'm an expert in modern European history with a focus on the aftermath of World War I. When it comes to the question of how long it took Germany to pay for WW1, it's a complex issue that involves a significant amount of historical context and financial details.

The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, imposed heavy reparations on Germany as part of the peace settlement after WW1. The total amount was fixed at 132 billion gold marks in 1921, which was later reduced to 50 billion gold marks by the Dawes Plan of 1924, and further adjusted to 20 billion gold marks by the Young Plan of 1929.

The payments were made under various plans and agreements, and the process was fraught with economic and political challenges. The Great Depression in the 1930s severely impacted Germany's ability to continue making payments. In 1932, an agreement known as the Launacar-Hitler Pact was signed, which ended reparation payments for three years.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, one of his first acts was to refuse further payments. This refusal was part of a broader policy of repudiating the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which he viewed as punitive and unjust.

After World War II, with the onset of the Cold War, the focus of the Allied powers shifted. The need to rebuild a strong and peaceful Germany as a bulwark against the spread of communism took precedence over the collection of WW1 reparations. As a result, in 1953, Conference on German External Debts led to a settlement that effectively ended the reparations issue.

However, the final chapter you mentioned relates to a different set of payments. On October 3, 2010, which was indeed the 20th anniversary of German unification, Germany completed its payments related to WW1. These were not reparations in the traditional sense but rather restitution payments made to individuals for property lost during the war. The total amount paid over the years was approximately 124 billion euros.

In conclusion, if we consider the traditional reparations, the payments ended effectively in the 1930s. However, if we consider the broader sense of financial obligations related to WW1, including restitution, then it took until 2010 for the final payments to be made. This long and complex process reflects the profound and lasting impact of WW1 on the financial and political landscape of Europe.

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Oct. 3, the 20th anniversary of German unification, will also mark the completion of the final chapter of World War I with the end of reparations payments 92 years after the country's defeat.Sep 29, 2010read more >>