Countdown to Christmas
6 - Self-Determination of Peoples
- Self-determination is a genuinely liberal concept. It applies to every individual as well as to peoples. The latter have the right to determine their own destinies without coercion from outside powers.
- With reference to states, but also to peoples who do not have an own state territory, it means that political decisions can be made without external coercion. This is not a sufficient, but a necessary condition for the freedom of individuals.
- In order to comply with liberal principles, the self-determination of peoples must always include the rights of minorities and individuals living on their territory. Otherwise, the right of self-determination of peoples violates the right of self-determination of all people, which from a liberal point of view is of higher priority.
Gift Idea
The Berlin Freedom Bell is a symbol of freedom and self-determination and its porcelain copy is a beautiful and meaningful gift. The original bell arrived in Berlin on October 21, 1950 and rang out for the first time on October 24. It symbolizes the will for freedom and self-determination of the population of West Berlin and its support by the free world. Two years earlier, during the Berlin blockade, the communist Soviet Union had unsuccessfully tried to break this very will. The Berliners themselves and the “Airlift” of the Western allies were stronger.
