The German Reunification and Its Relationship with Italy: A Deep Analysis, Tesine universitarie di Storia Contemporanea

Scarica The German Reunification and Its Relationship with Italy: A Deep Analysis e più Tesine universitarie in PDF di Storia Contemporanea solo su Docsity! THE GERMAN REUNIFICATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LONG TIME BEFRIENDED COUNTRY. • Introduction • PART I: Germany: From the “Mauerfall” to the Reunification • PART II: Italy • PART III: Italy and Germany, Odi et amo. Thesis: La fonte del socialismo reale in germania dell’est ha portato ad un crollo delle possiblità di vottoria del partito di sinisrra in iytalia. L’unificazione tedesca Introduction: The German reunification is now realized in people’s head, in the politicians’ behaviour and in the new economic dynamics. Yes, the reunification is realized yes, we have one German state fully integrated into the European system and its institutions and, dare to say, a leading force of it. Many works have been done referred to Germany and its unification. But what brings us to start this topic? First, as an Italian and, in bigger proportions as a European, I’d like to think of German reunification as something that can be intertwined with the social, geographical and economic dynamics of the European countries. It is obvious though, that given the fact that the human knowledge is limited, and I'd add words to use are limited analysing all European countries would appear as a challenge more than a scientific work. I could talk about what France role was or what was the American one and yet I would end up sounding just an expert rather than a French or an American. Therefore, I chose to be Italian, as I am, as everyone can see and say. Sharing that Italian side of an experience in which Italy seemed to play a minor role, arose enthusiasm in me. Why? Because it can bring the reader not to focus on just one episode and to analyse in deep the relationship between countries and who knows, to understand what Europe is about. After 27 years of that episode that made the world “spark joy” as Marie Kondo would say, after the fall of the Berlin's wall, after 28 years of the German reunification, Germany that deludes itself to finally have made peace with itself and the rest of the world for its past, is accused to be carrying out its own economic ideas and its society's system to all the European countries. Is it a logical syllogism? A mistake of one's logic? A is B so B is A? Germany is a European country, therefore, Europe is Germany? I don't really want to focus myself on disputed themes with long and boring names, but it is true that many political leaders both right and left winged have been back together with a surprising anti-Teutonic alliance, back together to observe Germany with a glance mixed with envy and hostility: hostility to those “unacceptable” conditions, even retained to be diktat; envy for an economic success that appears not to be bandwagoning its neighbours, on the other hand, in total decline. The basis of this “anti-german” feelings are not blamed on history and only history anymore rather the choices of the present, as Angelo Bolaffi would say. All these feelings against Germany are giving born again to a series of old stereotypes and prejudice. Many people believe that if in the past, Germany tried to take control over Europe through weapons, right now it's trying to reach the same aim with what it was supposed to be a common currency. After the fall of the wall and the reunification, the European countries found themselves in front of a matter that 1 1 they thought to never be able to come back again: Germany, a Germany. Not two, not three, divided by anyone, ruled by no one, just one Germany, with one parliament, one chancellor and one Hauptstadt, Berlin. All the forces surrounding Germany and not are thinking “what kind of power will be Germany?” would Germany go back to the Bismarck path and lead a “dissidio spirituale” a spiritual tension with Europe, as Benedetto Croce once said. Then the political barometer changed to the better, and this can be linked to the fact that Germany this time, didn’t get its sovereignty of national state through “iron and blood” but peacefully and democratically. And most of all with the full approval of its neighbours, although France, Italy and England always kept a step back. The reunification of Germany as seen from its supporters could have been a new chance for that Europe who after the II world war became a hostage of the lateral powers and for the length of half a century lived under the eye of Russia and the USA. Doubts kept on existing though, however not for its strength as in the past, but for its fragility and insecurity, a mournful powerlessness child of a historical feeling of guilt. Of course, there were doubts about the economic and social consequences of such an unexperimented attempt. As we know now all these doubts got deleted for a European dialogue and Germany in a surprisingly short amount of time reached the social and economic reunification without although the historical legacy of the Wessis, Ossis contraposition survived. But with the time passing by what was initially thought to be problematic, revealed itself to be way less dangerous. Even the chancellor of the German reunification was aware of its historical background. In fact, during the speech in front of the OSCE members he declared “Conscious of German history and the resultant moral and political responsibility, a united Germany will be the cornerstone of the peaceful European order". But for many the reunification meant the possibility to archive the German question, not to delete history but to give a new fresher look of it. However, suddenly the framework changed again. After the end of the first decade of the 21st century, old hostility emerged again. The whys and because of these new aspects, are to be seen in what? It may lay in the fears of many to lose their identity to a foreigner. The constant, endless confrontation with others that gives us the feelings of homesickness and nostalgia of the Sovereignism. A system that gave us the possibility to stay and remain in our tiny little village of Comfort Zone. As I said before I can explain neither with the political science nor with the sociology why Germany is seen like that. I could guess, and so could you, but, quoting one of the fathers of sociology "science can never answer the fundamental questions of life” and doesn’t have to evaluate but try to be as objective as it can. While an epochal revolution is globally redefining the power hierarchies and demographical composition of each country, Europe opts for a neo isolationisms of both economic and spiritual autarchy. The easiest example is the birth of many eurosceptic parties in the whole of Europe. AFD in Germany, Lega (Nord) in Italy, Vox in Spain, where identity resentments are intertwined with anti-universalistic ideologies. Punctually, after many years on going, when Europe is living a crisis, the shadow of Germany arises. Despite the appearances, history is never the same. It's us that because of spiritual laziness tend to read reality with old ideas, maybe to avoid facing it. It is obvious that the whys to these new aspects of political life and non, can’t be found in books. The new elements of our reality have created discontinuity with the past provoking a new Verwandlung, a new metamorphosis of the European question. And what are Italy and Germany’s role within Europe is different from what used to be in the past. To understand what future awaits Europe it is necessary to think Germany, think Italy. To get into their mechanisms, in their modern political and social realities. 2 2