The idea of the present symposium was conceived a few years ago by the Working Group 3 (WG3) of the Interunion Commission of Geodynamics (ICG). Now that its Program has been completed, it was decided to present the results of that part of the activities of the WG3 indicated in the symposium title. The writer was asked by the WG3 to coordinate the contributions. The European Geophysical Society (EGS) kindly offered to host the symposium during its meeting in Vienna in September, 1979, and Springer-Verlag in Vienna agreed to publish a "Proceedings" volume of the Symposium. These efforts are gratefully acknowledged. The whole subject matter of the symposium was divided into 6 "themes". The first concerns in situ stress determinations, the second deals with stresses as inferred from fault-plane solutions of earthquakes, the third geomorphic and geological effects of stresses, the fourth petrofabrics and stresses, the fifth recent displacements and the sixth geomechanical models. Upon the recommendation of the WG3, contributors were invited to present papers falling under the themes mentioned. The symposium, how­ ever, was also open to unsolicited contributors in the general call for papers for the EGS-meeting. It is hoped that the papers will present a fairly complete picture of the results obtained in the study of tectonic stresses in the Alpine-Mediterranean region during the ten years of the duration of the International Geodynamics Program.