German-Italian relations

The German Empire established relations with Italy after the end of the Risorgimento process. These two countries historically have a special relationship, as they opposed the growing influence of the Austrian Empire , and parts of their territories at different times were part of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Union . In 1882, Italy and Germany became part of the Triple Alliance , but they had different views on the causes of the outbreak of the First World War , which led to an armed confrontation between them.

In 1939, before the start of the Second World War, the Italian fascist government headed by Benito Mussolini signed the Steel Pact with the German government under the leadership of the Führer Adolf Hitler to create a single coalition in the fight against the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition . In 1940, Italy and Germany became members of the military-political bloc of the Axis Country during World War II . However, in spite of the signed intergovernmental agreements, the countries did not fully trust each other, which led to uncoordinated actions during the Second World War ^[1] .

After the Allied invasion of Italy in the summer of 1943, Mussolini was ousted from power and arrested by the Great Fascist Council with the support of King Victor Emanuel III , but was soon released as a result of a German special operation ^[2] . Under pressure from Hitler ^[3] , Mussolini, as an alternative to the royal government , who had sided with the Allies , proclaimed the Italian social republic in the north of Italy, completely dependent on German support and unrecognized internationally, which continued the war on the German side. In April 1945, German and loyal Mussolini troops in Italy were finally defeated by the Allies, and Mussolini himself was captured and executed by Italian partisans two days before Hitler’s death .

After the end of World War II, West Germany and Italy were allied powers during the Cold War , became the countries of the Inner Six, and became part of the G-7 international club thanks to the competent economic policies of the governments of these countries. In 1990, Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti did not endorse the reunification of Germany , but then the governments of these countries established good relations and are now full members and leading members of the European Union . In 2005, the German Cardinal Benedict XVI was elected Pope .

In 2017, Germany was the main import and export partner of Italy: imports amounted to $ 72.2 billion, and exports amounted to $ 58.5 billion ^[4] . The main imports of Italy from Germany are automobiles, and the main Italian exports to Germany are medicines ^[5] .

• Germany has an embassy in Rome and a consulate general in Milan ^[6] .
• Italy has an embassy in Berlin ^[7] .