Helsinki 1975 and the Transformation of Europe (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781845454913)

It was in Europe that the Cold War reached a decisive turning point in the 1960s, leading to the era of d tente. The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), with its Final Act in Helsinki in August 1975, led to a rapprochement between East and West in the fields of security, economy and culture. This volume offers a pilot study in what the authors perceive as the key issues within this process: an understanding over the 'German problem' (balancing the recognition of the post-war territorial status quo against a formula for the eventuality of a peaceful change of frontiers) and the Western strategy of transformation through a multiplication of contacts between the two blocs. Both of these arguments emerged from the findings of an international research project on 'D tente and CSCE in Europe, 1966-1975', funded by the Volkswagen Stiftung and headed by the two editors.