In the middle of the Cold War, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) took place in Helsinki in 1973, with representatives from 35 countries, both NATO and the Warsaw Treaty. Despite almost insurmountable political differences, governments from both power blocs met in a phase of the new German policy towards the East and détente with the aim of reaching an understanding, later known as the "spirit of Helsinki".

The Final Act of the CSCE, signed by all heads of government in Helsinki on August 1, 1975, created on the one hand a kind of "recognition of the spheres of power" in Europe and thus supposedly a political strengthening of the countries of the "Eastern bloc". On the other hand, it was decisive for the founding and strengthening of opposition groups in Eastern Europe, such as Solidarność in Poland, Charter 77 in the ČSSR or the "Initiative for Peace and Human Rights" in the GDR, which made a decisive contribution to the dissolution of the communist sphere of power in Europe. August 1, 1975 was the beginning of the end of the Eastern Bloc. Only 14 years later, the borders in Europe fell.

Panel

• Dr. Nadja Douglas, Research Associate at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) & Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
• Wolfgang Templin, contemporary witness, publicist & expert on Eastern Europe
• Dr. Henrik Bispinck, Historian & Chairman of the Association for the Promotion of the Marienfelde Refugee Center Memorial

Moderator: Nils Busch-Petersen, member of the Friends of the Berlin Wall Memorial

The event is part of the series Life in Dictatorships of the Berlin Wall Memorial Association.

In cooperation with the Center for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), the Friends of the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Marienfelde Refugee Camp Memorial Association