3.3.6 Sovereignty and Self-Determination

To what extent should contemporary society respond to the legacies of historical globalization?


Decolonization: After the devastating effects of World War I and World War II, many nations were ruled by other countries. Canada was under the control of Great Britain until 1931 — well after World War I.

The quest for power led to conflict and interfered with people's ability to rule themselves. This ability, or right, is called
sovereignty
the authority of a country to make independent decisions concerning its own welfare

Recognition by other countries of a nation's sovereignty helps to legitimize that nation's independence in the world community.

Two things are important for a country to have sovereignty:

  1. independence in making its own decisions
  2. recognition by other countries of its independence
sovereignty.

The
United Nations (UN)
an international organization that describes itself as a "global association of governments facilitating co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity"

The United Nations organization was founded in 1945 by 51 countries, and today includes 191 nations, almost every country in the world. 
United Nations is an international organization to which almost every nation in the world belongs. It was established to find and maintain lasting worldwide peace and security. It was founded in 1945 immediately following World War II.

The UN agreed that colonies should be granted their independence. The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was adopted on December 14, 1960, with 89 countries voting in favour while 9 countries did not vote (abstained). This included all the major colonial powers: Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States.

All non-self-governing territories, mostly in Africa and Asia, have attained self-government since the signing of the declaration.

self-determination
the principle that a group of people should have the right to determine their own system of law and government and to pursue their own economic, social, and cultural development without intervention by outside forces

Generally, self-determination is linked to the process of decolonization that occurred after the creation of the United Nations in 1945.

The issue of self-determination is tied closely to the struggle of many Aboriginal groups around the world, including Canada's First Nations people, who have fought to regain their sovereignty.
Self-determination is a similar concept. It refers to the right of a people to govern themselves. For example, the First Nations and Inuit people of Canada have been fighting for the right to form their own government for many years. You will learn more about this issue later in this unit.

The map to the right shows which nations were still colonies of others at the end of World War II.
Image in public domain, courtesy Wikipedia