Are there inherent rights that every human being possesses? The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes values that apply to all human beings and are intended to protect against indiscriminate violence. But the long fight for human rights is not over yet.
The long fight for freedom
The notion of inherent human rights and their legitimate protection only evolved gradually throughout history. In the Middle Ages there were the first laws that were supposed to protect individuals from the arbitrary power of the rulers.
The "Magna Charta Libertatum" ("Great Charter of Freedoms") is well known, which in 1215 in England protected the nobility and clergy, and to some extent also the peasants, from excessive taxes from the royal family. It became the most important foundation of English constitutional law.
A recurring principle can be seen here:The struggle for life, freedom and justice often begins where rulers or governments abuse their power. They no longer work for the good of the people, but oppress and torment people for their personal interests or ideologies.
In many countries and at all times, cruel crimes are committed by government orders. And that's why human rights have to be reaffirmed and proclaimed again and again.
"All humans are born equal!"
This was first done with far-reaching effect in 1776 in the American Declaration of Independence. Unfair taxes were also the reason for the English settlers in North America to fight for their independence.
The English crown tried to use its colonies to pay off its national debt, which had arisen as a result of the Seven Years' War against France (1756-1763). The 13 colonies on America's east coast, however, resisted the new taxes and the strict trade and customs laws.
At the famous "Boston Tea Party" on December 16, 1773, settlers threw the cargo of British tea ships into the harbor basin. The colonies united, convened a Continental Congress, and formed a unified army under the command of George Washington, who later became the first President of the United States of America (USA).
The "Boston Tea Party"
On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson. "We hold the following truths to be self-evident:that all human beings are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that these include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," the 15-article declaration reads became the basis of the US Constitution.
It marks the historic breakthrough of the idea of inalienable basic rights - even if slavery continued in America at the time, many Indians were expelled and women did not have the right to vote.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
In France, people revolted against the "old regime" almost at the same time. The state was bankrupt, the royal household and the costly war policy had emptied the coffers. For years the people had paid for it. On May 5, 1789, the Estates Assembly was convened. The third estate, the bourgeoisie, declared themselves the National Assembly.
On July 14, 1789, open rebellion began with the famous storming of the Bastille, i.e. the prison. The National Assembly promulgated the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.
The crowd stormed the Bastille
Article 1 reads:"Man is born and remains free and equal in rights." Article 2:"The aim of all political societies is the preservation of the natural and inalienable rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security and the right to resist arbitrary oppression."
The basic rights set out in 17 articles found their way into the new constitution of September 3, 1791.
The French Revolution also brought a lot of suffering and chaos to the country - after the liberated outcry of the people came the reign of terror of the Jacobins and the time of wars under Napoleon Bonaparte. But from then on people knew their rights against the state.
The "Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du Citoyen" ("Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen") represents a new start in political thinking and had repercussions throughout Europe. From this point on, many constitutions could no longer do without the innate, inalienable basic human rights that were to be protected by the state.
The French still celebrate July 14th as a national holiday.
The basic rights of the German people
In Germany, it took a little longer for the call for freedom to be heard loudly. The "German Confederation" was a loose association of many small states, but there was a desire for a unified state with fundamental rights and an overarching constitution.
The bourgeoisie and liberal politicians in particular demanded German unity, a parliament and the abolition of press censorship. When new unrest broke out in France, a revolution also broke out in Germany in 1848. After the uprisings, the National Assembly met in Frankfurt's Paulskirche.
The National Assembly met in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt am Main
The basic rights of the German people were promulgated on December 27, 1848:equality before the law, protection against arbitrariness by the authorities, freedom of the press, freedom of belief, freedom of conscience, freedom of assembly, the right to form associations, independence of the courts, public trials, freedom of property.
They wanted to unite Germany and offered King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia the election as emperor. But he rejected the "crown from the gutter". Moreover, when the constitution was only accepted by a few states, the German revolution had largely failed. The Germans still had a long way to go to democracy.
Nevertheless, this declaration of fundamental rights also brought new impulses to people's thinking. For the first time, the idea arose that social rights – such as the right to work – are human rights. This opened the way for the protection of workers and for the formation of unions.
Freedom from want and fear
The crimes of the National Socialists and the destructive force of the first atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki shook mankind to an unprecedented extent. The urgent need arose to protect every single human being from such injustice in the future.
With this goal in mind, the United Nations Organization (UNO) was founded in New York in 1945 as the successor organization to the League of Nations. In its charter of June 26, 1945, this new world community committed itself to protecting the world from "the scourge of war".
She reaffirmed her belief in human dignity and pledged to promote better living conditions in freedom for all people.
Adoption of the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights
A short time later, a committee of representatives of the then member states met to develop a common catalog of values. What living conditions does a person need for a dignified existence? What rights must a state guarantee?
After more than two years of work, the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" was promulgated on December 10, 1948. To this day, the 30 articles serve as a common orientation and ideal for almost all peoples in the global struggle for human dignity.
A shared vision for the world
Nobody had to comply with its guidelines at the time the declaration was issued. There were no contracts, no legal protection. Only later did international pacts, treaties and conventions follow, which implemented the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" into applicable law. However, many people are still not adequately protected from indiscriminate violence by governments.
Enforcement of human rights by the United Nations is proving difficult. To this day, many governments argue that human rights violations are domestic affairs in which no one should interfere.
Nonetheless, the struggle for human rights has become a global movement. Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), groups and citizens' groups are boldly raising their voices. Massive worldwide protests and courageous actions by individuals have already prevented or alleviated a lot of suffering - for political prisoners, for women without rights, for vulnerable children.