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This book examines the conceptual and political history of the right of self-determination of peoples.
List of contents
Prologue: national unity and secession in the symbolism of power; Introduction: a concept and ideal; Part I. Theory of Self-Determination: 1. Individual self-determination; 2. Collective self-determination; 3. The people; 4. Self-determination and the right of self-determination; Part II. Self-Determination in Practice: 5. The early modern period in Europe: precursors of a right of self-determination?; 6. The first decolonization and the right to independence: the Americas, 1776-1826; 7. The French Revolution and the invention of the plebiscite; 8. From the European Restoration to the First World War, 1815-1914; 9. The First World War and the peace treaties, 1918-23; 10. The interwar period, 1923-39; 11. The Second World War: the perversion of a great promise; 12. The Cold War and the second decolonization, 1945-89; 13. After 1989: the quest for a new equilibrium; Epilogue: the right of the weak.
About the author
Jörg Fisch is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the University of Zurich.Anita Mage is an academic translator and doctoral candidate in philosophy at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
Summary
The idea of self-determination of peoples - that peoples have the right to form a state, and even can decide whether or not they exercise that right - is a modern one. This book examines the conceptual and political history of this idea.
