Fifty years ago, Leonid Brezhnev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, achieved a long-desired diplomatic triumph by signing the Helsinki Accords on Aug. 1, 1975. Sixteen years later though, the Soviet Union itself was thrown on the ash heap of history. What happened?

The accords, signed 50 years ago on Aug. 1, forced the Soviets to honour human rights{ai:summary}The Helsinki Accords, signed by Leonid Brezhnev in 1975, aimed to improve East-West relations and promote human rights. However, despite this diplomatic success, the Soviet Union collapsed just 16 years later, highlighting the limitations of such agreements in addressing underlying systemic issues. The eventual disintegration of the USSR underscores the fragility of political structures built on ideological rigidity and economic challenges, ultimately leading to its historical demise. #history

Raymond J. de Souza: How the Helsinki Accords helped end communism

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