Italy, the Reunification of Germany and the End of the Cold War (1983-1990)

The emergence of rivalry between United States and Soviet Union, the Cold War was not desired from Italy. Despite its allegiance to the Atlantic Alliance and its friendship to the United States, Italy always tried to keep alive the relations with the Eastern European States and with Soviet Union and the cultural and economic unity of the European Nations. Italy played an important role in the creation of the CSCE thanks to its Prime Minister Aldo Moro. During the final period of the Cold War the Italian foreign policy was directed by Giulio Andreotti, who was Foreign Minister from 1983 to 1989 and Prime Minister from 1989 to 1992. A promoter of the European integration and unity, a devout catholic, closely connected to the Vatican, Andreotti considered the Détente and the relations with the Soviet Union as means to end the Cold War and also to include Eastern Europe and the USSR in the European project. The Italians didn’t foresee the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and initially they were not favorable to the German reunification. The Italian Government, however, accepted it later when the USSR agreed and this was linked to the creation of the Economic, Monetary and European Union as well to the strengthening of the CSCE and to the permanence of a united Germany in a redesigned NATO to allay the fears of its neighbours. These conditions sealed the end of Europe’s division and the progress of the European unification that were priorities of the Italian policy.