31st August 1994: A historic farewell marked the end of the largest peacetime troop withdrawal. It was to be the beginning of a new era of peace. Can we bring that spirit back to Europe?
To summarize (but perhaps I did not understand your post correctly): a lot of precautions were taken to avoid giving offense to the Russians, but ultimately the Russians took offense. Beautiful farewell ceremonies and soothing words could only hide the reality for so long. Or as the Italian proverb says it is always unpleasant to have to swallow a live frog. No way around it.
Let's put it this way: many aspects of the German Reunification and the establishment of a stable, respectful relationship with the Soviet Union's successors could have been handled better. As someone who's not a historian but old enough to remember how these events were narrated when they occurred, what strikes me is the ongoing internal debate in Germany. It's not just open and intellectual, but still heated and emotional. This legacy echoes in German attitudes toward Russia and the current war: the differences between western and eastern Germany are still there—not so much in the numbers of economy, but in the minds of people. These differences persist even among politicians from the same party but with diverse personal backgrounds. Indeed, the distinct way of being German—eastern or western—means also a distinct way of viewing Europe through either one or the other lens. You know what? I genuinely believe we should all go back 30 or 40 years and review, honestly, all our European past since the Eighties. The good news is that there are so many brilliant minds tackling exactly that as of now, also on Substack. I have spent my summer holidays reading Timothy Garton Ash's "Homelands: A Personal History of Europe,"(in German: "Europa – eine persönliche Geschichte") and it takes me back to things I remember, but almost forgot, while they are still relevant today.
Fascinating post Valentina. Thank you. I must read the book you mention by Mr Barton Ash.
To summarize (but perhaps I did not understand your post correctly): a lot of precautions were taken to avoid giving offense to the Russians, but ultimately the Russians took offense. Beautiful farewell ceremonies and soothing words could only hide the reality for so long. Or as the Italian proverb says it is always unpleasant to have to swallow a live frog. No way around it.
Let's put it this way: many aspects of the German Reunification and the establishment of a stable, respectful relationship with the Soviet Union's successors could have been handled better. As someone who's not a historian but old enough to remember how these events were narrated when they occurred, what strikes me is the ongoing internal debate in Germany. It's not just open and intellectual, but still heated and emotional. This legacy echoes in German attitudes toward Russia and the current war: the differences between western and eastern Germany are still there—not so much in the numbers of economy, but in the minds of people. These differences persist even among politicians from the same party but with diverse personal backgrounds. Indeed, the distinct way of being German—eastern or western—means also a distinct way of viewing Europe through either one or the other lens. You know what? I genuinely believe we should all go back 30 or 40 years and review, honestly, all our European past since the Eighties. The good news is that there are so many brilliant minds tackling exactly that as of now, also on Substack. I have spent my summer holidays reading Timothy Garton Ash's "Homelands: A Personal History of Europe,"(in German: "Europa – eine persönliche Geschichte") and it takes me back to things I remember, but almost forgot, while they are still relevant today.