History, Memory, and Trans-European Identity

About this book

Introduction; 1 History, Memory and Public Policy; 2 Forty Years of National Memory Constructions; 3 The Europeanisation of National Memory; 4 A European Memory?; Conclusions; Bibliography; Index. This book questions the presupposition voiced by many historians and political scientists that political experiences in Europe continue to be interpreted in terms of national history, and that a European community of remembrance still does not exist. By tracing the evolution of specific memory cultures in two successor countries of the Fascist/Nazi regime (Italy and Germany) and the impact of structural changes upon them, the book investigates wider democratic processes, particularly concerning the conservation and transmission of values and the definition of identity on different levels.