Zápas o lidská práva. Rada svobodného Československa a helsinský proces by Mojmír Povolný (review)

Abstract

Reviews 575 Povolny, Mojm?r. ??pas o lidsk? prava. Rada svobodn?ho Ceskoslovenskaa hebinsky proc?s. Stylus Press, Brno, 2007. 382 pp. Illustrations. Appendix. Index. K 290.00. The issue of human rights in Central and Eastern Europe during the Cold War has been the subject of a number of prominent works. However, the involvement of theCzechoslovak democratic exilewas not properly addressed prior to the emergence ofMojm?r Povolny's book dealing with the Council of Free Czechoslovakia and the Helsinki Accords. Povolny was not only a leading participant in the struggle for human rights behind the Iron Curtain (at one stage he even served as the chairman of the Council of Free Czechoslovakia), but also a political scientist specializing inEastern Europe at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. His scholarly meticulousness and his own personal recollections demonstrate that Povolny is eminendy qualified to address the topic at hand. Povolny has chosen towrite thisbook in the form of a memoir. This in no way detracts from the scholarly value of thework. On the contrary, the style and quality of the language used makes the book more enjoyable to read and gives the reader a sense of the atmosphere inwhich particular events took place. The introduction touches upon the general history of the human rights issue in the twentieth century. The United Nations Charter ismentioned, as is theUniversal Declaration ofHuman Rights. In addition, theWestern European experience with human rights is contrasted with that ofCommunist Europe, and theCzechoslovak Communists' tendency to sign treaties such as theHelsinki Final Act without adhering to their terms is emphasized. The first section, which contains five individual chapters, deals with themotivations and historical background of events leading to Helsinki. Interestingly, the Soviet Union was concerned, first and foremost,with the institutionalization of the post-war status quo inEurope and, accordingly, launched a diplomatic offensive in the late 1960s,which later resulted in the Western European and American agreement to hold an international security conference inHelsinki where human rightswere also to be discussed. The ultimate result of this lengthy diplomatic wrangling was the signing of the Helsinki Final Act on rAugust 1975which, apart from other provisions, obligated signatories to respect human rights.The second section addresses the effortsof the demo cratic Czechoslovak exile to influence events inCzechoslovakia and to point out systematic Czechoslovak violations of key Helsinki human rights provi sions. The Council of Free Czechoslovakia, founded in 1949,was themain organization of the post-1948 democratic Czechoslovak exile. On the basis of his own research, this reviewer can confirm Povolny's assertion that the Council expressed concerns about violations of basic human rights in Czechoslovakia long before the issue of human rights became prominent in the international arena. The Council viewed Soviet diplomatic moves leading to Helsinki with suspicion. It is necessary to keep inmind that the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia inAugust 1968 and the 'normalization' process that ensued were painful events which embittered all pro-democratic Czechoslovaks, and even ledmany formerly ferventCommunists to see the evils of the Communist system.Therefore, after the signing of theHelsinki Final Act, the Council continued towork hard to keep theworld informed 576 SEER, 88, 3, JULY 20IO of ongoing repression inCzechoslovakia. The significance of domestic opposi tion inCzechoslovakia is important. Charter 77was themain domestic dissi dent organization from the 1970s onward. Far from being a revolutionary movement, Charter 77 merely called on the Communist Czechoslovak Government to enforce itsown laws, especially theHelsinki provisions ithad committed itselfto.After some dispute among the exiles, theCouncil of Free Czechoslovakia finally decided to support the activities of Charter 77. It can be said that theCouncil did itsbest towork with the domestic opposition and democratically-minded sympathizers in other countries to stand up for the rights of Czechoslovaks behind the Iron Curtain from its founding in 1949 until the collapse of Communism in 1989. In his conclusion, Povolny makes this abundandy clear to the reader. Copies of original documents appended at the end of thework add to its scholarly integrity,as do theEnglish-language summary and the index. Mojmir Povolny has produced an excellent work, which will surely broad en the horizons of all who read it.The younger generations of the post-Cold War Czech...