It states that peoples, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference. The explicit terms of this principle can be traced to the Atlantic Charter, signed on August 14, , by Franklin D.
It also is derived from principles espoused by United States President Woodrow Wilson following World War I, after which some new nation states were formed or previous states revived after the dissolution of empires. The principle does not state how the decision is to be made nor what the outcome should be, whether it be independence, federation, protection, some form of autonomy, or full assimilation.
Neither does it state what the delimitation between peoples should be—nor what constitutes a people. There are conflicting definitions and legal criteria for determining which groups may legitimately claim the right to self-determination. The employment of imperialism through the expansion of empires and the concept of political sovereignty, as developed after the Treaty of Westphalia, also explain the emergence of self-determination during the modern era.
During and after the Industrial Revolution, many groups of people recognized their shared history, geography, language, and customs. Nationalism emerged as a uniting ideology not only between competing powers, but also for groups that felt subordinated or disenfranchised inside larger states; in this situation, self-determination can be seen as a reaction to imperialism.
Such groups often pursued independence and sovereignty over territory, but sometimes a different sense of autonomy has been pursued or achieved. Thomas Jefferson further promoted the notion that the will of the people was supreme, especially through authorship of the United States Declaration of Independence which inspired Europeans throughout the 19th century.
Leading up to World War I, in Europe there was a rise of nationalism, with nations such as Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Bulgaria seeking or winning their independence. They also supported the right of all nations, including colonies, to self-determination. The Constitution of the Soviet Union acknowledged the right of secession for its constituent republics. In January Wilson issued his Fourteen Points that among other things, called for adjustment of colonial claims insofar as the interests of colonial powers had equal weight with the claims of subject peoples.
The end of the war led to the dissolution of the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire and the creation by the Allies of Czechoslovakia and the union of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and the Kingdom of Serbia as new states. However, this imposition of states where some nationalities especially Poles, Czechs, and Serbs and Romanians were given power over nationalities who disliked and distrusted them eventually helped lead to World War II. By the fall of , the tides had turned, and it became clear the Allies were going to win the war.
Bulgaria was the first to surrender, followed by Turkey, bringing to an end the seven-centuries-old Ottoman Empire. Austria-Hungary, facing starvation and civil war, signed an armistice agreement thereby splitting the union into several smaller countries and bringing an end to the Hapsburg Empire.
With Germany on the verge of chaos and civil war, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, resulting in the country becoming a republic and its new leader, Chancellor Friedrich Ebert, asking the Allies for an armistice. Finally, the fighting was over. At 11 a. In , Nov. Germany and its former allies were not allowed to participate in the negotiations. The resulting treaty was a compromise that fully pleased no one—least of all, Germany. The terms were very harsh toward Germany, stating that it was solely responsible for starting the war and requiring it to disarm, to surrender its overseas colonies and to pay massive reparations for the losses suffered by the Allies.
Wilson used his tremendous influence to attach the Covenant of the League, its charter, to the Treaty of Versailles. An effective League, he believed, would mitigate any inequities in the peace terms. The struggle to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant in the U.
Congress helped define the most important political division over the role of the United States in the world for a generation. A triumphant Wilson returned to the United States in February to submit the Treaty and Covenant to Congress for its consent and ratification. Unfortunately for the President, while popular support for the League was still strong, opposition within Congress and the press had begun building even before he had left for Paris.
They adhered to a vision of the United States returning to its traditional aversion to commitments outside the Western Hemisphere. Nine months later, Warren Harding was elected President on a platform opposing the League. The United States never joined the League. Most historians hold that the League operated much less effectively without U.
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