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This volume examines to what extent the positive atmosphere created by the Helsinki Accords contributed to the change in political circumstances seen in the countries of Central Europe, under Soviet domination.
It focuses in particular on - firstly - a consequent new impetus to bolster human rights in international politics, as Western democracies - especially the US - integrated human rights concerns into its foreign policy relations with Soviet Bloc countries and - secondly - how this Western embrace of human rights seemed to create new incentives for increased dissident activity in Central and Eastern Europe and from 1976 onward. Finally, the book reminds us of the significant role of the Helsinki Accords in developing democratic practices in Eastern European societies under Soviet domination in 1975-1989 and in creating the conditions for the peaceful transition to democratic government in the years that followed.
This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of the history of communism, post-Soviet, Russian, and central and East European politics, the history of human rights, and democratization.
List of contents
Introduction - Human Rights and Political Dissent in Central Europe: between the Helsinki Accords and the Fall of the Berlin Wall 1. U.S. Policy toward Political Opposition in Poland (1975-1981) 2. Human Rights in British Policy on Poland (1975-1979) 3. Basket III Provisions in French and the Federal Republic of Germany policy toward the Polish People's Republic (1975-1980): A Comparative Approach 4. Human Rights in the Policy of Sweden toward Poland (1975-1981) 5. Between Human Rights and National Opposition: Polish Opposition (1976-1989) 6. Exit, Voice, Duplicity: Human Rights in Romanian Understanding (1975-1989) 7. The Catholic Church, Human Rights and the Democratic Opposition in Communist Poland: The Case of Father Ludwik Wisniewski 8. The Role of Human Rights in the Situation of Slovak Church and Persecution of Christians in Slovakia in (1975-1989) 9. John Paul II on Human Rights in Poland 10. Political Opposition, Human Rights and Political Changes in Czechoslovakia in 1989 11. Resistance, Dissent and Opposition Movements-Antecedents of the Hungarian Regime Change 12. Revisiting the Revolution of 1989: The End of the Communist Rule in Romania 13. The United States and Hungary (1956-1990) 14. The Polish American Congress, Polish Diaspora and Human Rights Movement in Poland 15. The Ideas of Human Rights and Their Impact during and after Soviet Rule
About the author
Jakub Tyszkiewicz is Professor of History at the University of Wroc¿aw, Poland.
Summary
This volume examines to what extent the positive atmosphere created by the Helsinki Accords contributed to the change in political circumstances seen in the countries of Central Europe, under Soviet domination.
