Dynamics of Network Resonance: The Case of the Transnational Helsinki Network

The underlying assumption of this article is that network resonance is autocatalytic for drastic or large-scale socio-political transformation as an unexpected consequence of social emergence. To test this, the transnational Helsinki network is examined as an empirical case. The Helsinki network, organised following the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, contributed significantly to the demise of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989. The case study demonstrates that the self-organisation of chain reactions in the Helsinki network triggered autocatalytic dynamics that led to the wave of revolutions in Eastern Europe in 1989.