Convention and the Kingdom - How the Netherlands Received the European Convention on Human Rights

How and why did the European Convention turn from a neglected legal tool into one of the most important human rights documents in legal practice? This book argues this remarkable development wasn't merely the result of a top-down movement initiated by the European Court, but of a far more dynamic process in which the national and European spheres engaged in constant co-creation. Focusing on the Netherlands and uncovering little known archival sources, it lays bare how the Convention was received over time throughout the entire Kingdom. In doing so, it incorporates insight into how European human rights were perceived in Europe and beyond. A much more varied story comes to light in which contingency and interaction take centre stage, and which uncovers the choices that continue to shape the character of the Convention as we know it today.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. 1945-1954 Constructing the moral basis for European integration; 2. 1954-1962 The open beginning of the Convention; 3. 1962-1968 From European rights to human rights; 4: 1968-1979 European human rights in the age of activism; 5. 1979-1989 The defining decade: How the Convention became 'mainstream'; 6. 1989-2022 From permissive consensus to persistent critique.

About the author

Wiebe Hommes is Assistant Professor in European Law and Legal History at the University of Amsterdam. His research revolves around the history of human rights and European integration, as well as the role of individuals in the creation of (international) law.

Product details

• Authors: Wiebe Hommes, Wiebe (Universiteit Van Amsterdam) Hommes
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 30.09.2025
• EAN: 9781009676816
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0967681-6
• No. of pages: 380
• Series: Law in Context
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law; Europe, European History, Human Rights, LAW / General, 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Politics & government, Politics and government, Civil rights & citizenship, Human rights, civil rights, Law & society, Law and society, sociology of law