International Cooperation in Cold War Europe: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 1947–64

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Formed in 1947, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was the first postwar international organization dedicated to cooperation in Europe along the boundaries set by the Cold War. Linking the universalism of the UN to European regionalism, both Cold War superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union, were founding members of the UNECE. This book provides a unique study of this important but hitherto under-researched international organization. Incorporating research on the Cold War, the history of internationalism and European integration, Stinsky weaves these different threads of historical enquiry into a single analytical narrative. Building on the League of Nations’ difficult heritage, and in an increasingly challenging political environment, the UNECE’s mission was to facilitate European cooperation across the Iron Curtain. With a number of competitor organizations set against it, the UNECE managed to carve out a niche for itself, setting norms and standards that still have an impact on the everyday lives of millions in Europe and beyond today. Working against an overwhelming geopolitical trend, UNECE succeeded in bridging the Cold War divide on several occasions, and maintained a broad system of contacts across the Iron Curtain. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures Acknowledgments Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Researching the History of International Organizations 1.2 Historiography 1.3 Archives and Sources Chapter 2: Intellectual Origins and Constitutive Politics of ECE and the Postwar European Order, 1940–7 2.1 Planning for Peace Geneva: The Haunted Palace Washington, DC: Incomplete Internationalism Stockholm: Stuck in the Middle 2.2 United Nations, in War and in Peace UNRRA: The First Test for a Civilian U Into the Vortex of International Organization The Founding of ECE: “Devastated Areas” Become “Europe” 2.3 Conclusion Chapter 3: Reconstruction and the Breakdown of East-West Relations, 1947–52 3.1 The Construction of Western Europe Bottleneck Problems The Marshall Plan Economic Bloc Formation 3.2 East-West Trade in the Early Cold War Postwar Trade Relations Economic Warfare: The CoCom Embargo ECE Trade Consultations 3.3 Conclusion Chapter 4: Economic Cooperation in Cold War Europe, 1949–60 4.1 ECE as a Technical Agency Roman Roads Interdependent Rivals: ECE and OEEC An International Civil Service: The ECE Secretariat and UNHQ 4.2 ECE and East-West Trade after Stalin A Silent Breakthrough The Spirit of Geneva German Problems 4.3 ECE and (Western) European Integration Monsieur Schuman and the Little Titos ECSC and the Steel Europeans Subregional Integrations 4.4 Conclusion Chapter 5: Epilogue and Conclusion 5.1 East-West Schism, North-South Divide ECE Veterans and Development Economics The UN Regional Commissions and UNCTAD The Road to CSCE 5.2 Conclusion Notes Archives Bibliography Index