Roots of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On the occasion of the sixty-sixth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Human Rights Day on December 10, the historical and political roots of the provisions of this declaration are initially addressed. After the historical disaster of National Socialism in Germany and Hitler's racist crimes against Jews and his crimes against dissenters, opponents, and people from other countries, a global alliance was formed to establish a new world order based on modern human rights values. Human rights activists and thinkers were aware that victory over the Nazi dictatorship and the governments allied with Nazi Germany alone could not lead to political peace in the world. Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the most important authors of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, was also the wife of the thirty-second President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt. From the Atlantic Charter to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, before the United States entered World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the Atlantic Charter to the world in August 1941 while aboard a British warship named 'Prince of Wales.' The goal of the Atlantic Charter was to establish a new world order and peace, in which 'all people in all countries of the world should have a free life without poverty.' In January 1942, twenty-five countries that were part of the 'Anti-Hitler Coalition' signed the United Nations Declaration. All these historical events were steps that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on December 10, 1948, is an achievement that emerged after World War II. The preamble of this declaration states that the aim of these new human rights is to embody a common aspiration for all nations of this world. In the first sentence of this preamble, the catastrophe of the brutal acts of German National Socialism is referenced, affirming the importance of new human rights: '… since recognition of the inherent dignity of all members of the human family and their equal and inalienable rights is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world, the disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind; and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people…' The freedoms mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were articulated by President Franklin Roosevelt in January 1941, seven years before the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the U.S. Congress. Roosevelt conveyed a message and promise of four freedoms for the future of humanity to American citizens and citizens of the world: freedom of speech, freedom of belief, and freedom from any kind of fear and poverty. These four freedoms are, on the one hand, the primary targets of attack by the rulers of any dictatorship and, on the other hand, the basic measure of the type of freedom in a country. In a society where people cannot freely express their thoughts and write about them, in a society where people are not allowed to freely believe in religion, philosophy, worldview, or a political goal, in a society where state officials suppress people to create terror and fear and destroy the security of the people, and in a society where state officials cannot provide at least the minimum welfare for all citizens, the most basic conditions for a free life are eliminated. This is why Roosevelt insisted on these four freedoms. These points were subsequently addressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Of course, the demands for freedom of religion and expression were also raised in the 1770s during the American Revolution and in the 1780s during the French Revolution. The idea of freedom and liberation from fear and poverty were groundbreaking concepts that transformed human rights ideals for citizens of all countries on a global scale. This demand was also previously articulated in the 'New Deal' program by President Franklin Roosevelt, reflecting his social policy in response to the global economic crisis of the early 1930s. Roosevelt concluded that national policy should intervene in the free market to prevent the economic and social rights of the poor from being trampled. Roosevelt's goal was to improve the economic and social conditions of the most vulnerable and poorest segments of society. By advancing the economic and political 'New Deal' program, which he believed was a kind of 'second bill of rights,' Roosevelt created new legal, social, and economic opportunities to improve the conditions of the poor masses in America. In April 1945, the United States, along with several other countries, invited the remaining governments of the world to San Francisco to establish the United Nations. A year earlier, in 1944 in Washington, a plan had been devised by the major Western countries to establish an international organization. It was decided that a new organization called the United Nations would replace the League of Nations, which had been established on January 10, 1920. Subsequently, the United Nations was established on June 26, 1945. The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 217, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in Paris on December 10, 1948. Forty-eight countries voted in favor of this resolution, while eight countries, including the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Poland, Yugoslavia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, voted against it. The text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been translated into 300 different languages.