Helsinki Accords

Helsinki Accords, agreements resulting from the deliberations of the 35 nations participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) between July 1973 and August 1975, with the aim of reducing Cold War tensions. All European countries except for Albania participated in the deliberations, along with the United States, Canada, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

The Helsinki Accords (officially the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe) were the crowning achievement of the deliberations. Signed in Helsinki, Finland, on August 1, 1975, the accords were designed to increase cooperation among the Communist countries of Eastern Europe and non-Communist countries of Western Europe. Among the provisions was the recognition of the inviolability of the boundaries that had existed de facto since the end of World War II in 1945 (see Potsdam Conference; Yalta Conference). This security provision was particularly important for the Soviet Union and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe; it meant that the West officially recognized the changed borders of Poland and the division of Germany.

The First Basket, or part, of the accords also dealt with other aspects of security in Europe. The Second Basket dealt with increased cooperation in economic and environmental affairs. The Third Basket, which focused on cooperation in humanitarian and other areas, pledged its signatories to respect human rights, including freedom of expression, religion, and travel.

The Third Basket proved to be the most controversial. Western leaders accused Communist countries, including the Soviet Union, of violating the human rights of their citizens. Communist leaders, in turn, rejected Western criticism as interference in their internal affairs. The Third Basket was an important factor leading to the development of dissident (opposition) groups and movements in Central and Eastern Europe, such as Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia.

Helsinki Watch committees were set up in many Communist countries to monitor observance of the Helsinki Accords. Activist groups in Central and Eastern European countries called on their leaders to live up to the pledges they had made and brought violations of human rights to the attention of the world community. These groups were generally small and had little immediate influence within their countries prior to the end of the Communist era. However, their activities helped to make citizens aware of the shortcomings of the Communist system, leading to increased popular demand for their governments to protect human rights.

Growing dissent in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union helped bring about the collapse of the Communist bloc. In Czechoslovakia, for example, leaders of dissident groups inspired by the Helsinki Accords played an important role in negotiating the end of Communism after mass demonstrations began in 1989. Human rights activists in the Soviet Union also drew upon the Helsinki Accords in their struggle against the Soviet regime, which collapsed in 1991. Following these events, the CSCE continued to serve as a pan-European forum for the promotion of human rights, disarmament, and other issues. In 1994 it renamed itself the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).