Greece and Germany in Postwar Europe: The Way towards Reconciliation

This article examines the political and economic relations between Greece and Germany in the 1950s and 1960s. Following the end of the German occupation of Greece on October 12, 1944, both nations showed a willingness to put the trauma of the war and the occupation behind them. Among the issues that the article addresses are the following: the normalization of Greek-German relations after the Second World War; the factors which positively influenced the postwar cooperation between former enemies; and the role of postwar international conditions such as the American dominance and the Cold War climate. It highlights the most important problems, events, interactions, and decisions taken by Greece and Germany, and it defines the relationship between politics and economy.