Human Rights (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note

European origins of human rights

• Human rights are the basic freedoms and protections that every person is entitled to simply because they are human, such as the right to life, liberty, equality and fair treatment under the law

  • They are the conditions humans need to lead fulfilling and dignified lives

• Many of the global norms surrounding human rights have links to European history and philosophical traditions

  • The idea that democracy is the best system to ensure people are treated well originated in ancient Greece

    • Greek philosophers including Aristotle developed the concept of natural law — the idea that there are universal moral principles that apply to all humans

  • Christianity was the dominant religion and outlined how people should behave toward each other and these ideas often became law

The Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights

• The Magna Carta of 1215 (United Kingdom) was a document that might be called a constitution if it was written today

  • It somewhat limited the power of the ruling class

  • It promoted the idea of fair trials

  • It condemned unlawful imprisonment

• The English Bill of Rights (1689) further limited the power of the monarchy

  • It protected freedom of speech in Parliament

  • It prohibited cruel and unusual punishment

  • It established that governments must respect the rights of citizens

The Era of Enlightenment

• The 17th–18th centuries are known as the Era of Enlightenment, when European philosophers began to argue that all people are free and equal

  • John Locke argued that all people are born with natural rights - life, liberty and property - which no government can take away

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed the idea of the social contract - governments derive their authority from the consent of the people

  • Voltaire championed freedom of speech and religion and criticised the abuse of power by rulers and the Church

US independence and the French Revolution

• The 1776 American Declaration of Independence was directly influenced by Enlightenment ideas

  • It declared that all men are created equal and have unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

  • It was one of the first political documents to formally codify Enlightenment rights principles into law

• The French Revolution and Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)

  • The French Revolution of 1789 challenged the absolute power of the monarchy and aristocracy

  • The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) proclaimed the universal rights and freedoms of all citizens

  • Together, the American and French declarations were major steps towards modern human rights frameworks

Limitations

• Although these ideas were discussed and promoted by various actors, women were not included

• Rights were often limited to men of a particular property, race or social class

• The majority of people had very few formal rights until the 20th century

Global context of human rights

• Ideas about how people should be treated and what rights they should have can also be seen throughout the world

Examples of global human rights contexts

• All of the world’s major religions have the golden rule - treat other people how you would like to be treated

• In South Africa, Zulu and Xhosa people refer to the concept of Ubuntu - the focus on community and how each person’s humanity is linked and interdependent

• The Hammurabi Code was written almost 4000 years ago in Babylon (modern-day Iraq), outlining property and workers’ rights

• In India, the sacred Vedas texts, written around 3,500 years ago, identify all humans as equals with equal rights to food and water

• In China, Confucianism, which originated about 2500 years ago, emphasises the duties and obligations to community and the dignity of human beings

Islamic human rights frameworks

• The Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1990) was adopted by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

  • It affirmed that all people are equal in dignity and have rights to life, liberty and security

  • However, it frames rights within Islamic law (Sharia), which has led to debate about whether it offers the same protections as the UDHR

  • This highlights that different cultures and religions may define and prioritise rights differently

The Asian values debate

• Some political leaders, such as Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, argued in the 1990s that human rights are a Western concept not universally applicable

  • This Asian values debate suggested that community needs and social harmony should take priority over individual rights

  • Critics argue this position was used to justify authoritarian governance and suppress political opposition

  • The debate raises important questions about whether human rights are truly universal or culturally relative

Indigenous rights frameworks

• Many indigenous peoples around the world have traditions emphasising connection to land, community and collective rights

• The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007) recognised the right of indigenous communities to self-determination, cultural preservation and land rights

• This expanded the human rights framework beyond individual rights to include collective and cultural rights