The "German question" in the Italian public debate. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the reunification

The article aims to analyse the Italian public debate on the "German question" between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, using mainly press sources. In particular, three thematic areas are identified on which journalists, intellectuals and the political class dwell in commenting on the re-emergence of the German question and the phases of reunification: the link between the collapse of the Wall and the end of the Cold War as well as between the German question and the Soviet question; the problem of the relationship between Germany and the EEC, and therefore the need to link German reunification to an advance in the process of European integration; and, finally, the internal repercussions for Italy itself, both in financial and strictly political terms. By highlighting the complexity of the issue, the commentators formulate hypotheses and proposals that reveal an ambiguous positioning regarding the possibility of overcoming the international status quo. However, they end up underestimating the signs of international marginalization of Italy due to the loss of the advantageous position guaranteed by the Cold War and the new political centrality of Germany.

Keywords: German question, Berlin Wall, German reunification, Italian public debate, Cold War, Italian foreign policy

Lucrezia Ranieri, La "questione tedesca" nel dibattito pubblico italiano. Dal crollo del Muro alla riunificazione in "MONDO CONTEMPORANEO" 2/2021, pp 91-123, DOI: 10.3280/MON2021-002003