Human Rights Activism and the End of the Cold War: A Transnational History of the Helsinki Network

Two of the most pressing questions facing international historians today are how and why the Cold War ended. Human Rights Activism and the End of the Cold War explores how, in the aftermath of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, a transnational network of activists committed to human rights in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe made the topic a central element in East-West diplomacy. As a result, human rights eventually became an important element of Cold War diplomacy and a central component of d tente. Sarah B. Snyder demonstrates how this network influenced both Western and Eastern governments to pursue policies that fostered the rise of organized dissent in Eastern Europe, freedom of movement for East Germans, and improved human rights practices in the Soviet Union - all factors in the end of the Cold War.

Author: Sarah B. Snyder
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 06/20/2011
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781107001053

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2012

About the Author
Snyder, Sarah B.: - Sarah B. Snyder is a Lecturer in International History at University College London. She has published a number of scholarly articles in journals such as Cold War History, Diplomacy and Statecraft, the Journal of Transatlantic Studies and the Journal of American Studies, as well as multiple book chapters. Dr Snyder specializes in transnational, international and diplomatic history.