Bericht der von den Außenministern der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und der Italienischen Republik am 28.3.2009 eingesetzten Deutsch-Italienischen Historikerkommission
Rapporto della Commissione storica italo-tedesca insediata dai Ministri degli Affari Esteri della Repubblica Italiana e della Repubblica Federale di Germania il 28 marzo 2009
In a joint declaration issued in Trieste on 18 November 2008, the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy reaffirmed after visiting the memorial site of the National Socialist concentration camp La Risiera di San Sabba. common ground of the "ideals of reconciliation, solidarity and integration, which form the foundation of the European construction process". They announced the establishment of a commission of historians to study the German-Italian war past and in particular the fate of the deported to Germany, in order to contribute to the creation of a common culture of remembrance between Germans and Italians. a culture of remembrance shared by Germans and Italians.
Within the framework set for it, the Historical Commission was able to carry out its scientific work completely independently and to determine its own approach. Due to the limited time at its disposal, the Commission decided from the outset not to undertake an overall account of German-Italian relations during the Second World War, which could only be written in a European context. In order to understand the different national cultures of remembrance in Germany and Italy are at least to be aligned with each other, the Commission believes that new academic impulses are needed. The Commission sees this as a promising way forward, German-Italian history in the Second World War through the experiences of contemporaries. This methodical approach should not lead to a re-evaluation of the historical facts, but it should also take into account the individual interpretations that contemporaries gave to the historical events. This should not lead to a revision of valid interpretations of history or even to a relativisation of German war crimes in Italy, but rather to provide an additional historical perspective, especially with regard to the victims.
Read the Report in German and Italian
Learn more about the German-Italian Historical Commission
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