Un "matrimonio d'interesse"? : Italia e Repubblica democratica tedesca nella crisi del 1989

By means of the documentation kept at the Politisches Archiv des Auswärt- igen Amts in Berlin, relating to the two-year period 1989-1990, and recently made accessible, and with the integration of documents from the Historical Archive of the Presidency of the Italian Republic, the essay sheds light on the network of contacts and relations woven by the Italian political class with the diplomatic and political leadership of the German Democratic Republic (Gdr). Excluded from official and top-level negotiations, in the period between the autumn of 1989 and the summer of 1990, Italy tried to act behind the scenes in order to play a role and exert an influence, albeit indirectly, in a crucial transition for Germany and one that was decisive for international equilibrium. The main aspects of the affair are captured from the point of view of the political class, in its final phase, from September 1989 to 3 October 1990. [Publisher's text].