Élysée Treaty and the German-French Entente 1958-1963

Abstract

Elysee Treaty which was concluded on January 22, 1963, is considered an important turning point in German-French relations. It ended decades of mutual hostility between the two countries and achieved a level of reconciliation rarely witnessed in humanity history. After terrified wars between the two sides and mutual hatred at the governmental and popular levels, both sides realized that the only way to finish this hostility is to rely on reconciliation and peace between the two countries after a long and brutal history of violence and hatred that brought nothing but destruction. As a result of this realization, the two sides engaged in negotiations during the period (1958-1963), which led to the conclusion of the German-French Friendship Treaty (Élysée Treaty), which established sustainable relations between the two countries in foreign, economic, defense and education affairs.