Self-determination
Definition
The process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government.
Analogy
Self-determination is like choosing your own major in college. No one else can decide it for you - it's your choice based on what you think is best for your future.
Related terms
Decolonization: The undoing of colonialism, where colonized nations achieve independence. This process often involves self-determination.
Nationalism: A political ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion or allegiance to a nation or nation-state and holds that such obligations outweigh other individual or group interests.
Sovereignty: The full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies. In political theory, sovereignty is a substantive term designating supreme legitimate authority over some polity.
"Self-determination" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (4)
Which concept advocated for the self-determination of nations and had a significant impact on 19th-century political developments?
Which clause in President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points raised hopes for self-determination among non-European countries after WWI?
What did the principle of self-determination, promoted at the Versailles Conference, mean?
How did the principle of self-determination, as proposed by Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen Points, influence nationalist movements during the interwar period?
Resources
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