Following the Second World War West German and Italian historians tried to influence the "culture of remembrance" via the mass media. But how successful was that attempt? Did they participate in the discussions surrounding the previous years of National Socialist and Fascist rule as intellectuals - or were they simple taking part in public debates? Marcel vom Lehn looks at the different ways in which the historians from these two countries contributed to their respective country´s appraisal of the past. He shows how they used the mass media in this process, and how their expertise and private efforts worked hand in hand.