Why were the European Allies more interested in retribution?

The European allies focused on rebuilding themselves after wars, and believed that they should not have to pay to repair their nations because they did not cause the damage.

After World War one the focus was on the destruction cause by bombings, which required a lot of time, labor, and money for the allied nations to fix. They wanted Germany to cover these costs because Germany did the damage. The allies asked Germany to pay reparations and to change their governing system.

After World War two the focus was on making sure Germany was not able to be an aggressor again. Land was taken away, Germany's advanced scientific and technological industries were limited, and they had to pay reparations to the allies.