Vienna
Austria has just finished paying compensation to people who were used as slave laborers during World War II, when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany. The $350 million Austrian Reconciliation Fund made the last of its payments to 132,000 former forced laborers or their families this week. A German fund is compensating approximately 800,000 other people who were compelled to work in Austria. Burt Neuborne, a member of the board of trustees that administers the German fund, said the German mania for record-keeping in all things, even slavery, made it fairly easy to track down the former laborers. “In a sense it’s a tribute to Teutonic efficiency,” he said. “I say that with some irony.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.