ABSTRACT
This chapter explains why the narrative of France's alleged opposition to German unification has become engrained over the years and shows how newly accessible archival material, together with the evolving international historiography, calls for a reappraisal. It seeks to set the record straight by debating some of the controversial issues raised by French attitudes in 1989-1990. The chapter discusses France's aims at the time, first and foremost embedding German unity in a robust international and European framework. It also reviews the fundamental factors explaining French attitudes towards German unification. From the start, the relationship between German unification and European integration was the French president's primary concern, even obsession. The narrative of France's reluctance toward German unification emerged early on in the media. The Maastricht treaty, signed in February 1992, was the Franco-German response to the historic challenge of the end of the Cold War and German unification.
