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In the early decades after the Second World War, Western European social reaction to the political situation behind the Iron Curtain remained relatively weak. Despite the efforts of Eastern European exiles, large-scale protests and acts of solidarity only manifested themselves after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. Even in that case, the Cold War constellation of power set limitations on Western idealism and made sure the movement was short-lived. After the Helsinki Accords of 1975, however, the issues of human rights and democracy in Eastern Europe were slowly gaining ground. In the 1980s, the struggle of Solidarność in Poland ignited a massive wave of solidarity across Western Europe. The heterogeneous and sustained character of this movement is explained with reference to a ‘Southern inspiration’. The forms of action, networks and ideologies of East-West movements East-west were indeed inspired by North-South activists and anti-colonial movements.