The research idea originated as a result of interest in Russian human rights which then expanded to include all of Eastern and Central Europe. This work seeks to explore the effects of the Council of Europe’s (COE) Eastern and Central European member states on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or the “Court”). The in-depth publishings of ECHR itself provided the greatest source of information for this work. Part I provides a brief history of the ECHR up to 1989 when expansion to Eastern and Central European states first became possible. Parts II, III, and IV focus on three problematic consequences to the ECHR after extending membership to the emerging democracies of the former Soviet bloc: an overwhelming caseload, transformation in the nature of cases, and recurring patterns of human rights violations in certain member states. Together, Parts I through IV establish how the introduction of new members could so noticeably alter the character of the COE and the effectiveness of the ECHR. Part V uses these findings to draw broader lessons regarding proposals to expand membership of organizations like the European Union and NATO
