The CSCE Follow-up Meeting in Vienna (1986–1989) ‒Struggling for Human Rights and European Security at the End of the Cold War

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The project deals with the third CSCE Follow-up Meeting in Vienna (1986‒1989). In spite of the growing interest in the CSCE process this conference has not yet received the attention by historians it deserves. The humanitarian dimension and the aspect of military security – the two core matters of the negotiations – as well as the state and civil society actors involved are of central importance for this project. At the end of the meeting a broad agreement was reached in both fields, so that the end of the East-West conflict already came within reach in early 1989. This research project will analyse how this came about, where this was due to a certain logic inherent in the CSCE process and where to external influences, by studying six key themes which will complement one another in terms of their content. The aim is to define the CSCE process as a dynamic element in the final phase of the Cold War, establishing its significance as a factor of détente in the East-West conflict.