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This principle was first articulated by Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points; and was important in the Treaty of Versailles for drawing the boundaries of Eastern Europe and affecting decolonization. Many of the concepts embodied in the ideal of self-determination, however, can be found in earlier documents such as the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

The right to self-determination has been used in recent decades by people all over the world. In most cases there is an ethnic or religious minority seeking independence from a majority to escape prejudice or persecution.

The constitution of the Soviet Union acknowledged this right for its republics, but it was not applied in practice until the perestroika, when it led to the breakup of the Soviet Union

At the ratification of the UN Charter in 1951, the signatories introduced the right of all people to self-determination into the framework of international law and diplomacy.

The purpose of the self determination clause was to allow the former colonies that existed before World War II to have a say in their future. However, after decolonization the right to self-determination became understood to apply only to states and not to peoples, and to be circumscribed by the principles of territorial integrityTerritorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states. Conversely it states that border changes that are imposed by force and non-interference in internal affairs . Many of the newly independent former colonies faced secessionist and irredentist movements and therefore there was an international consensus that self-determination did not apply to these movements.

The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights in 1970Events January events January 1 Construction begins on Arcosanti, by Paolo Soleri, in Mayer, Arizona, located 65, miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. January 1 Unix epoch at 00:00:00 UTC. January 12 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war. January committed the idea of the right for self-determination to the body of international protocol. In essence, all people reserve the right to seek self-determination to address a lack of proper representation or oppression from any given government.

There is tension between the concept of self-determination and that of territorial integrityTerritorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states. Conversely it states that border changes that are imposed by force. This conflict has been resolved in practice by defining the notion of "people" entitled to self-determination as persons living in a particular nation-state rather than persons sharing a common culture or language. Hence, self-determination as it is understood in the early 21st century20th century 21st century 22nd century other centuries) Definition In calendars based on the Christian Era or Common Era, such as the Gregorian calendar, the 21st century is the current century, as of this writing, lasting from 2001- 2100. The 21st centur does not generally promote the political aspirations of oppressed ethnic minorities.

Wilson's ideas of self-determination originated in his SouthernSouth Location in the U. Population: 99,664,761 Total Area: 2,384,143 km² Largest City (proper): Houston, Texas 2,009,834 Highest Elevation: Guadalupe Peak 2,667 m Lowest Elevation: New Orleans -2. 5 m Largest State: Texas 696,241 km² Smallest State: Dela heritage and sympathies. His favorite movie was The Birth of a NationThe Birth of a Nation is a controversial silent film directed by D. Griffith, based on the play The Clansmen and the book The Leopard's Spots both by Thomas Dixon. It was released in 1915 and has been credited with securing the future of feature length fi, and his Democratic Party beliefs and personal ties were steeped in Southern pride and resentment of Northern power. Hence Southern interpretations of States-Rights directly led to Wilson's ideas of self-determination. Many have criticized both concepts, however, for promoting secession and division over unity. Further, they key question is at what level do populations have the right to self-determination and the formation or preservation of a state, the empowerment of a local majority, and the formation of a local minority. In the United States, southern states' rights to determine their own destiny during the Civil War and Civil Rights era were held to be not absolute, especially since significant minorities there were oppressed. In Europe after World War I, many of the former Empires destroyed in that war were broken up into ethnic states which themselves were amalgamations of peoples containing their own minorities, in Yugoslavia, the former Russian and Austro-Hungarian provinces, and in the Middle East. In Palestine, zionist immigrants would claim self-determination to justify the creation of the state of Israel in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire, just people in the West Bank would later claim independence as Palestine.

Hence, self-determination has been held to be an example of democracy at work, but also as an example of an abstract theory that when implemented has sometimes led to and fed further ethnic, national, and regional civil conflict.