"Settling and forgetting the past". Italian-Greek relations (1943-1948)

This essay traces out the history of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Italy and Greece after their interruption following the Italian aggression in October 1940. The reconciliation began by September 1943, as Italy signed the armistice with the Allies. Italy’s rehabilitation confronted Greece with the problem of developing a new policy towards its former enemy. In November 1948 Greece and Italy would sign a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, which can be regarded as the seal of the whole process. The A. analyzes several issues which influenced this rapprochement: the strategies of integration of the two nations into the post-war international order; the search for internal legitimization of their governments; the hard feelings nurtured by the Greek people towards the Italian invader; the mutual perceptions and popular stereotypes prevailing in the two countries; the memory of war and occupation in Greece, which found its most typical expression in the so called "Anniversary of the No", strongly linked to anti-Italian feelings; the capture and trial of Italian war criminals. Within this set of factors, the author stresses the role played by firebrand nationalism - with the connected territorial claims on North Epirus, Macedonia and the Dodecanese - in shaping the post-war foreign policy of Greece.

Keywords: Italian-Greek diplomatic relations, Italian-Greek Treaty of Friendship 1948, memory of the Second World War, Greek nationalism, Italian war crimes, Fascism

Paolo Fonzi, "Liquidare e dimenticare il passato". I rapporti italo-greci 1943-1948 in "ITALIA CONTEMPORANEA" 266/2012, pp 7-42, DOI: 10.3280/IC2012-266001