ABSTRACT
The demise of the Soviet Empire has transformed the divided European continent and, particularly, the country that this division partitioned: Germany. Cut in two by a front-line on which both superpowers met, Germany in a sense epitomized the predicament of the European continent. Strife and war, misunderstanding and mutual hatred have shaped Franco-German relations more than entente and cooperation. Certainly Germany in the past was not always perceived as an enemy striving for domination over Europe. The Germany Madame de Stael encountered after being sent into exile by Napoleon was politically weak, divided into a myriad of territories and devoid of patriotism: "Germans," she wrote, "have too much consideration for foreigners and too little national prejudice." To some extent, both France and West Germany shared common interests and objectives, in particular that of strengthening the Western community through their own alliance, "the alliance within the alliance," which served as a motor of European integration.
