Boris Meissner
Encyclopedia
Boris Meissner was a German
lawyer
and social scientist
, specializing in international law
and Eastern European
history and politics.
extraction, and spent his childhood in Pärnu
, Estonia
. He attended Tartu University, where he received a first degree in Economics (Diplom rer. oec.) in 1935. He then studied Law in Tartu until he had to leave Estonia following the Soviet occupation in 1940. He was able to continue his studies at Posen University
, where he also worked as research assistant for Erik von Sivers and Axel Freiherr von Freytag-Loringhoven. In the course of World War II
he became an officer in the German Army
, serving with Heeresgruppe Nord.
After the war he moved to Hamburg, where he became a research assistant to Rudolf von Laun at the University of Hamburg
. From 1946 until 1953 he headed the Ostrecht (Eastern European law) desk at the Forschungsstelle für Völkerrecht und ausländisches öffentliches Recht of Hamburg University. In 1953 Meissner joined the Foreign Service of the Federal Republic of Germany
. During his time at the Soviet desk, he was a member of the German delegation accompanying Konrad Adenauer
on his visit to Moscow
in September 1955 and the Four Power Conferences on Germany in Berlin
(1954) and Geneva
(1955; 1959). In 1956 he became First Secretary at the German Embassy in Moscow. Two years later he became head of the Research Department of the "Ostabteilung" in the German Foreign Office.
Having earned a doctorate at Hamburg University in 1955, Meissner was offered the chair in Eastern European Law, Politics and Social Studies at Kiel University in 1959. In 1964 he became director of the Institute for Eastern European Law at Cologne University, where he remained until his retirement in 1984.
Meissner was married to Irene Sieger in 1949. He died 10 September 2003 aged 88 years in Cologne, Germany.
A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Meissner was member of the foreign commission of the party's executive committee from 1970-1976. He continued to advise Chancellor Helmut Kohl
on Eastern Europe in the 1980s and 1990s.
Apart from this, Meissner was president of the Göttinger Arbeitskreis, an association of scientists from the former German territories in the East, from 1965 - 2000.
. He followed the development of nationalist movements in the Soviet Union and the changes introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev
from 1984 onwards. After the collapse of the Soviet Union he focused on the Baltic states.
His first book on the Soviet constitution was published in 1947, followed by numerous publications. In 1956 his doctoral thesis titled Soviet Intervention in the Baltic States and the Baltic Question in International Law was published.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and social scientist
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
, specializing in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and Eastern European
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
history and politics.
Life
Meissner was the son of Artur Meissner, a judge of Baltic GermanBaltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
extraction, and spent his childhood in Pärnu
Pärnu
Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. He attended Tartu University, where he received a first degree in Economics (Diplom rer. oec.) in 1935. He then studied Law in Tartu until he had to leave Estonia following the Soviet occupation in 1940. He was able to continue his studies at Posen University
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
Adam Mickiewicz University is one of the major Polish universities, located in the city of Poznań in western Poland. It opened on May 7, 1919, and since 1955 has carried the name of the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.-History:...
, where he also worked as research assistant for Erik von Sivers and Axel Freiherr von Freytag-Loringhoven. In the course of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he became an officer in the German Army
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, serving with Heeresgruppe Nord.
After the war he moved to Hamburg, where he became a research assistant to Rudolf von Laun at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
. From 1946 until 1953 he headed the Ostrecht (Eastern European law) desk at the Forschungsstelle für Völkerrecht und ausländisches öffentliches Recht of Hamburg University. In 1953 Meissner joined the Foreign Service of the Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. During his time at the Soviet desk, he was a member of the German delegation accompanying Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
on his visit to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in September 1955 and the Four Power Conferences on Germany in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(1954) and Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(1955; 1959). In 1956 he became First Secretary at the German Embassy in Moscow. Two years later he became head of the Research Department of the "Ostabteilung" in the German Foreign Office.
Having earned a doctorate at Hamburg University in 1955, Meissner was offered the chair in Eastern European Law, Politics and Social Studies at Kiel University in 1959. In 1964 he became director of the Institute for Eastern European Law at Cologne University, where he remained until his retirement in 1984.
Meissner was married to Irene Sieger in 1949. He died 10 September 2003 aged 88 years in Cologne, Germany.
Work
In 1961 Meissner initiated the foundation of the Federal Institute for Eastern European and International Studies . He was its first president serving until 1965 and remained on the board for six more years. At the same time he advised the Foreign Office on policy towards the East Bloc, and later served as director of its advisory committee from 1972 - 1982.A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Meissner was member of the foreign commission of the party's executive committee from 1970-1976. He continued to advise Chancellor Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
on Eastern Europe in the 1980s and 1990s.
Apart from this, Meissner was president of the Göttinger Arbeitskreis, an association of scientists from the former German territories in the East, from 1965 - 2000.
Publications
Meissner was a regular commentator on Soviet affairs for several scientific journals, e.g. Osteuropa and Außenpolitik. His expertise also covered East-West-Relations and the German question. He was a renowned expert on Soviet institutions as well as the internal affairs of the ruling Communist Party of the Soviet UnionCommunist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
. He followed the development of nationalist movements in the Soviet Union and the changes introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
from 1984 onwards. After the collapse of the Soviet Union he focused on the Baltic states.
His first book on the Soviet constitution was published in 1947, followed by numerous publications. In 1956 his doctoral thesis titled Soviet Intervention in the Baltic States and the Baltic Question in International Law was published.
Selected works
- In: : Duncker und Humblot, 1973
- The Baltic Question in World Politics, The Baltic States in Peace and War (The Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
Press, 1978), 139-148
- The Baltic Question in World Politics, The Baltic States in Peace and War (The Pennsylvania State University
- Sowjetunion und Selbstbestimmungsrecht In: Dokumente zum Ostrecht, 0419-6015 ; Bd. 3 [ca1962]
- Partei, Staat und Nation in der Sowjetunion: ausgewählte Beiträge. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1985 ISBN 3428058909
- The Communist Party of the Soviet Union: Party Leadership, Organization, and Ideology (1976) ISBN 0837184614; ISBN 978-0837184616
- The Soviet conception of coexistence and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (East-West relations). (1975)
- Die Sowjetunion im Umbruch: historische Hintergründe, Ziele und Grenzen der Reformpolitik Gorbatschows. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1988 ISBN 3421063923
- In: Hrsg Boris Meissner, Dietrich Loeber, Cornelius Hasselblatt. Hamburg: Bibliotheca Baltica, 1994, S.466-504
- (Veröffentlichung / Göttinger Arbeitskreis) 2000 ISBN 3830501021, ISBN 978-3830501022
Decorations
- Order of the Polar StarOrder of the Polar StarThe Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
1st Class (1977) - Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1985)
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Terra MarianaOrder of the Cross of Terra MarianaThe Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana was instituted in 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is bestowed upon the President of the Republic. Presidents of the Republic who have ceased to hold office shall keep the Order of the Cross of...
(1995) - Preußenschild of the Landsmannschaft Ostpreußen (1990)
- Honorary Doctorate of the University of Tartu (1996)