The Development of Human rights PDF

Running head: THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
The development of human rights
Name of student
Name of university

1THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
The phrase, “human rights” refers to the inherent rights of every individual around the
world, irrespective of caste, class, sex or any other grounds of discrimination. This refers to the
innate right of every human being to live, to earn a livelihood, to express their opinions and
develop a voice of their own – so as to develop into fully functional members of the civilized
society1. While the concept of human rights is prevalent today, with almost every child aware of
what the term actually entails, it is equally important to understand how the concept came about.
The question arises as to what led to the birth of human rights, as a concept which governs the
way countries and states around the world function. The following essay attempts to understand
when and why exactly the concept of human rights emerged and its present day implications.
The belief in the sanctity of human life has been prevailing since time immemorial, in
different religions around the world. However, it was during the renaissance humanism period in
history when the idea of human rights first emerged. The civil wars and the European religion
wars in the seventeenth centuries which comprised widespread devastation and desolation
aroused a philosophy of liberalism within the people, which also recognized the birth of human
rights2. It can be ascertained that it was the notions of human rights, freedom and liberalism
which formed the core foundations of the French and American revolutions in the late
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The world saw massive suffrage and complete destruction
in the twentieth century, with the advent of the two World Wars. The bloodshed and massacre of
the World Wars ignited a fire for rebellion within the hearts of humans around the world –
humans whose birth rights had been brutally snatched away. The intense desire for peace led to
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 19483.
1 Forsythe, David P. Human rights in international relations. Cambridge University Press, 2017.2 Hathaway, Oona A. "Do human rights treaties make a difference?." In International Law and Society, pp. 3-110.
Routledge, 2017.3 Peters, Laurence. "The Development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." In The United Nations, pp.
109-139. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2015.

2THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
The concept of human rights and the fact that every individual is entitled to certain basic
human rights is relatively new. However, the roots of such a concept have been around for ages.
The second world war acted as a catalyst, which propelled the concept of human rights as a
global issue4. The idea of human rights was thus stronger than ever. Atrocities against the
minority populations, the extermination and the torture of Jewish populations by the Nazis and
other such instances were examples of crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. It was
during such a tumultuous time that the governments around the world insisted on the
development of United Nations. The main purpose of the establishment of the United Nations
was bolstering of international peace and promotion of human rights. The United Nations was a
way of ensuring the people around the world that they would not be denied of their basic human
rights to life, food, freedom, shelter and nationality. It was President Franklin Roosevelt’s State
of the Union Address in 1941 which first highlighted the need for human rights. It was during
this speech that Roosevelt spoke of four essential human rights – the right to freedom of speech
and religion, freedom from fear and want. In 1945, the United Nations Charter was formulated
which stated that every government is obligated to protect its citizens from abuse and ensure a
definite standard of living5.
The year 1948 can be said to be a starting point for human rights, or the era when the
concept of human rights finally gained shape. Once the United Nations was formed, a
commission under the capable leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt was formed, named the
Commission on Human Rights. This Commission was entrusted with the definition and
establishment of the fundamental freedoms and rights. On December 10th, 1948, the Universal
4 Fariss, Christopher J. "Respect for human rights has improved over time: Modeling the changing standard of
accountability." American Political Science Review 108, no. 2 (2014): 297-318.5 Lupu, Yonatan. "Legislative veto players and the effects of international human rights agreements." American
Journal of Political Science 59, no. 3 (2015): 578-594.