Project Overview
The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) constituted an important forum for negotiations in a Europe divided by the Cold War. Human rights had been a significant issue from the very beginning of the CSCE process, which began in 1973. Yet it was only at the third CSCE Follow-up Meeting in Vienna (1986–1989) that one can speak of a breakthrough in the humanitarian sphere. The atmosphere of the negotiations had changed noticeably. The project examines the impact of this transformation on the Vienna Follow-up Meeting. In doing so, it takes into account both the internal dynamics of the CSCE process and external factors, such as the influence of the Gorbachev factor and the role of human rights organizations. In a further step, it analyzes how daily newspapers covered the Vienna Follow-up Meeting and which actors made strategic use of this reporting. Since a large proportion of the relevant files remained inaccessible until recently due to archival restrictions, the project aims to provide the first historiographical study and analysis of the humanitarian dimension of the third CSCE Follow-up Meetin
Sources
Archival Sources
Analysis of files that were previously only partially accessible due to archival restrictions.
Oral History
Interviews with contemporary witnesses, which make it possible to identify evaluations, attitudes, and prevailing moods that cannot be reconstructed from written records alone.
Media
Perceptions and interpretations of developments in television, radio broadcasting, and newspapers.