The role of The Conference of Security and Cooperation in ending the Cold War

This thesis intends to examine the role of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) in the peaceful ending of the Cold War. The literature review conducted as part of this thesis provides the human rights, political and military effects of the CSCE process in terms of First and Third Baskets. The review concludes that the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 provided a momentum of interaction to the civil society movements which led to the Revolutions of 1989, the Vienna Document of 1990 on Confidence and Security Building Measures (CSBM) provided military transparency, and the Treaty of 1990 on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) provided the framework for arms control and disarmament in Europe.