International agreement signed in 1975, designed to reduce tension between the Soviet and Western blocs.
It was an attempt to secure common acceptance of the post-World War II status quo in Europe, including the division of Germany. The accords, signed by all the countries of Europe (except Albania) as well as the U.S. and Canada, were nonbinding and lacked treaty status. They were sought by the Soviet Union to gain implicit recognition of its postwar hegemony in eastern Europe. In return, the U.S. and its western European allies pressed for respect for human rights and cooperation in economic, scientific, and other humanitarian areas. Follow-up meetings in Belgrade (1977–78), Madrid (1980–83), and Ottawa (1985) were marked by strong criticism of Soviet human-rights abuses and by Soviet counteraccusations. A 1990 conference in Paris formally ended the Cold War and recognized German reunification.