Social Democratic Transnationalism and Soviet Bloc Dissidents During the Cold War
Boel, Bent
Social Democratic Transnationalism and Soviet Bloc Dissidents During the Cold War - 2011.
51
Dissidence in Soviet-bloc countries posed Western Social-democratic parties with a dilemma: how to demonstrate their solidarity with those living behind the Iron Curtain while maintaining their commitment to a policy of Détente? Some observers have highlighted social-democratic indifference; others have argued that a dual strategy was at work, the leadership focusing on relations with governments while lower levels provided support for the dissidents. A ‘realist’ approach to international relations certainly induced most social democrats to prioritize relations with governments, but some circles - including top officials - concretely assisted Eastern European oppositionists, whether exiled in the West or still active in Poland, Czechoslovakia or the German Democratic Republic.
Social Democratic Transnationalism and Soviet Bloc Dissidents During the Cold War - 2011.
51
Dissidence in Soviet-bloc countries posed Western Social-democratic parties with a dilemma: how to demonstrate their solidarity with those living behind the Iron Curtain while maintaining their commitment to a policy of Détente? Some observers have highlighted social-democratic indifference; others have argued that a dual strategy was at work, the leadership focusing on relations with governments while lower levels provided support for the dissidents. A ‘realist’ approach to international relations certainly induced most social democrats to prioritize relations with governments, but some circles - including top officials - concretely assisted Eastern European oppositionists, whether exiled in the West or still active in Poland, Czechoslovakia or the German Democratic Republic.
Réseaux sociaux