Pay It Forward, Germany

Germany's current treatment of Greece isn't only heartless on the face of it, but also shows an astonishing lack of historical sense from the nation of two world wars. After WWI, Germany's reparations of billions of marks was a major cause of German resentment, and a significant contributor to the rise of Hitler.  On the other hand, after WWII, a more humane policy prevailed, and Germany was given $13 billion in Marshall Plan aid, to help it return to economic stability.  At only 5% compound interest, that would be $350 billion today. While the world, including Germany, saw the value of helping even an aggressor country, Germany now follows a sort of 18th century debtors' prison approach to Greece, which was guilty of little more than following the economic lead of the major powers during the early 21st century.  So let Germany do as was done unto it, and pass about a quarter of that amount on to Greece, instead of demanding its pound of flesh from, among others, elderly Greeks on pensions.