Keywords: Cold war, European integration, International Organizations, political history, United Nations

“Sisyphus’ Palace; The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 1947-60”

This thesis deals with an important, hitherto under-researched player in postwar international politics, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). UNECE is the oldest and geographically broadest economic organization in Europe. It predates the Marshall Plan and the EU’s predecessors, and continued to exist in parallel with them. During the Cold War, UNECE fostered cooperation even across the Iron Curtain. It facilitated hundreds of technical agreements with a direct impact on the everyday lives of millions in Europe and beyond, e.g. on traffic rules, hydroelectricity, or agriculture. The history of UNECE offers surprising insights on the Cold War, on the UN, and on European integration.