What Are Reparations?

Reparations are payments or other forms of compensation owed to populations or individuals who have suffered due to human or natural injustice. Reparations may be offered by a government or other entity as part of a legal settlement to acknowledge and make amends for wrongdoing. Reparation payments, made as part of a peace treaty or court-ordered compensation, can take many forms, such as monetary payments, remedies, restorative justice and memorials.

Historical Examples of Reparations

Reparations have been used throughout history as a way to address injustice. During and after World War II, many countries made payments to those who suffered from the war’s atrocities, such as fleeing refugees and those subjected to war crimes.

The United States and Japan, for example, exchanged reparations as part of a 1951 treaty. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. paid Japan $2 billion in reparations for the damage its forces inflicted on the island nation during the war. Japan, in turn, agreed to give the U.S. a 99-year lease over several military bases.

Similarly, the Allied powers declared reparations for Germany following World War I. The terms of the Agreement of Versailles stipulated that Germany pay an estimated $25 billion in reparations. The payments — which sparked widespread public resentment in Germany — were intended to compensate the Allied powers for damage caused by the war and to pressure Germany into accepting the peace treaty’s provisions.

Reparations in Modern Times

Reparations have also been used in modern times to address a variety of historic injustices. Throughout the early to mid-20th century, a number of European countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, provided financial compensation to survivors of the Holocaust. In 1997, the U.S. government issued an agreement of apology and reparations to Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II for their alleged “disloyalty.” In 2010, France approved a law that provided reparations to Algerians who suffered under France’s 132-year colonial rule.

In addition to providing monetary compensation, governments have sought to make reparations through public apologies, the returning of stolen artifacts and commemorative actions, such as establishing public memorials and public holidays.

It is important to note, however, that some of these examples of reparations were largely symbolic, rather than substantive, compensation. While apologies and memorials serve to recognize and draw attention to past wrongs, they can also be seen as inadequate — and even insulting — financial substitutes for recovering righted losses.