Anniversaries, memory and the neighbours: The ‘German question’ in recent history

Abstract

Three coinciding factors have led to a reassessment by some of Germany's neighbours of their relations with the united Germany. These are: the fiftieth anniversary commemorations; the airing of long‐buried German grievances; and Helmut Kohl's exercise of authority within the EU. Together they revive memories of a past from which Germans, especially, have hoped to escape. Can Germans, and other Europeans, learn to live with their past without both forgetting the bitter lessons it has taught and losing faith in the co‐operation that seemed essential while Germany was divided?