Humans Rights Exam

Human rights

• Rights inherent to all humans regardless of their identifying characteristics

• Universal & inalienable

• Allows a person to live a full life

Democracy

• Government system

• The people have the power to determine how they will be ruled

• & who they elect in a parliament to make laws

Liberal democracy

• A democracy that primarily focuses on the protection of people’s rights and freedoms

Rule of law

• Concept: no one is above the law

• Laws are applied equally to all citiznes and members of government

Autocracy

• System of ruling

• 1 person has the power

• Includes monarchy & dictatorship

Dictatorship

• System of ruling

• 1 person has absolute control

Theocracy

• System of ruling

• Laws and decisions are derived from the leader/s interpretation of their religion

Separation of powers

• The organisation of the powers of government to prevent the concentration of one power

• Also to prevent one person having control over all of them

Anti-semitism

• Prejudice and/or bigotry aimed to target Jewish people for their religion and or ethnicity

Genocide

• Systematic & purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious or cultural group

• Crime under indernational law

Majority rule

• Majority constituted by a 50% +1 vote

• Used in Australia to determine Prime Minister and laws in parliament

Equality of political rights

• Citizens and government are equal before the law

• Enables political participation in government (anyone can run)

• Protected by UDHR & Constitution of Australia

Political participation

• Those affected have the right to be involved in the decisions

• Voting and referendums

Political freedom

• Right to exercise political action or speech against government without fear of retaliation

The Treaty of Versailles

• Armistive signed by Germany on June 28th 1919

• Officially blamed Germany for WW1

• Therefore made them make huge repayments to allies

Reichstag

• Parliament of Germany

• 1933-45

Weimar Republic

• Democratic system of government in Germany after WW1

Chancellor

• The position Hitler was appointed to on 30th Jan 1933 after the Reichstag fire

Enabling Act

• Allowed Hitler to pass “emergency” laws without Parliamentary votes

• Example: Nuremberg laws

Aryan Race

• Perfect/superior race

• Hitler aimed to create this through the extermination of people he deemed “not-aryan”

Nuremberg laws (Limited)

Set of Laws set out by Hitler stating that Jews could not:

• Own stores

• Be citizens in Germany

• Hold “regular” jobs

• Attend German schools

• Synagogs were destroyed

• Wear the Star of David

Ghettos

• Est. 1939

• Jews were removed fron society and forced to live here

• Food shortages & illness

• Hundreds of thousands living in a few square miles

• Strategically placed on train lines for easy access to camps

Night of Broken Glass

• 1938 - Nazi orchestrated Jewish violence

• Synagogs and Jewish businesses were burnt down

• 96 Jews killed

• 30’000 men sent to concentration camps

Concentration camps

• Est. 1933 (Dachau)

• Used for slave labor, Jews were worked to death

• Undernurishment led to mass starvation

• Built rear to train lines for easy transport to other camps and later on Death camps

The Final Solution (Death Camps)

• Decided at the Wannsee conference

• Answer to the Jewish question

• Death via Zykon B gas

• Camps built specially for this

• Bodies were moved and burnt by other prisoners

International human rights law

• System of internationals laws

• Designed to protect and promote the lives of all people

• Ensured by laws and in the form of treaties

International humanitarian law

• Only applies during war

• Referred to as the rules of warfare

• Set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict

• Based of the geneva conventions

Representative democracy

• System of government

• The people vote for the political person/party they want to represent them in Parliament or form of office

The geneva conventions

• Are the crux of humanitarian law

• Set of international treaties

• Since 1864, have been ratified by 196 states

Australian government

• Representative liberal democracy

• Separation of powers

• Referendums are needed to change the constitution

• 2 chambers in Parliament

• Right to choose and practice your own religion

Case study: Women, Life Freedom

• Zan, zendegi, azadi - translates to women, life freedom (protest slogan)

• Sparked after the death of Mahsa Amini who was (allegedly) beaten to death by the Iranian Morality Police for improperly wearing her Hijab

• Women want a reform change to the Iranian Theocracy, lead by the Supreme Leader Khamanei & self determination

• During protests, women are defying his laws by burning Hijabs and cutting their hair

Rise of Hitler: 1919

• Treaty of Versailles is signed

• Hitler joins the German workers party (GWP)

Rise of Hitler: 1921

• Hitler becomes leader of GWP

• Renames NSDAP

Rise of Hitler: 1923

• Munich Beer Hall Putsch (Hitler’s attempt to overthrow the German government) fails

• Hitler goes to prison

Rise of Hitler: 1924

• Hitler is released

Rise of Hitler: 1925

• “Mein Kampf” is published

Rise of Hitler: 1930

• NSDAP is the second largest and most popular political party in Germany

• The Weimar Republic starts to regain power

Rise of Hitler: 1931

• Hitler and NSDAP’s First nation-wide propaganda tour

• Flies over Germany

• Called “Hitler over Germany”

Rise of Hitler: 1933

• Reichstag fire results in Hitler being appointed chancellor

• The Enabling Act is introduced

• First Burning of the Banned Books

• First Jewish concentration camps are established

Rise of Hitler: 1934

• The Night of Long Knives

• President Hindenburg dies

• Hitler dissolves the power of chancellor and president and become the Fuhrer

Rise of Hitler: 1938

• The Night of Broken Glass

Rise of Hitler: 1939

• First Ghettos are established

• WW2 begins

The Night of Long Knives

• June 30th 1934

• SS assasinates nearly all the leader of the SA

• Forces the 2 armies to become one

First Geneva Convention

• 1864

Protects:

• Wouned and sick during war

  • Must recieve medical treatment regardless of who they are fighting for

• Medical and religious personnel

• Medical transport units

• Distinctive emblems’ rights (e.g. the red cross)

Second Geneva Convention

• 1907

• Replaces the Hague Convention

Protects:

• Wounded, sick and shipwrecked during war

  • Must receive medical attention regardless of who they are fighting for

• Hospital ships

• Costal rescue craft

• Medical aircraft

• Religious and medical personnel performing duties at sea

Third Geneva Convention

• 1929

• Replaces Prisoner of War (PoW) convention

Defines PoW’s:

• Living conditions

• Places of captivity

& that they must be released and repatriated as soon as possible

Fourth Geneva Convention

• 1949

Protects:

• Civilians

• Status and treatment of people

Defines:

• Obligations for the occupying power

• Must allow humanitarian relief in

• Agreements of hospitals and safe zones

Ratification

• The process of formally signing or consenting to a treaty, contract or agreement

• Makes it officially valid

League of Nations

• Est. in Geneva, Switzerland after WW1

• First intergovernmental forum

• Designed for handling international disputes before they grew into wars

• Unsuccessful as they did not allow Germany of Soviet Union in and therefore could not keep accountable

• Did not have it’s own armed forces and couldn’t enforce orders

The United Nations

• First met (unofficially) on 25th April 1945

• 50 countries met in San Francisco

• Goal to set up a conference to keep international peace through drafting a Charter

• Charter became the Charter of the United Nations

• Officially formed of 25th October 1945 after 5 main allies (China, Russia, US, UK and France) ratified the charter

Goals of the United Nations

• Maintain international peace and security

• Protect human rights

• Deliver humanitarian aid

• Support sustainable development

Weaknesses of the UN

• No armed forces

• 5 main allies (including Russia and China) hold veto power over any decisions

• 5 main allies hold a permanent seat in the Security Council

• Relies on the “good faith of members” to carry out their resolutions

• ICJ cannot command a state to appear before them - state must consent

General Assembly

• Largest body

• Delegates from all member states

• Main deliberative body

• Meet annually

• Deals with international peace, admission of new members and UN’s budget - all requiring a 2/3 majority vote

• Less important issues require a majority vote

• Lead by President elected for a 1 year term

Security council

• Maintains international peace and security

• Limited to 15 roles - 5 of which permanently belong to 5 main allies

• Other seats elected by the GA for a 2 year term

• SC’s resolutions are legally binding;

• include peaceful resolutions to disputes, imposing sanctions, participating in multi-national peacekeeping forces and authorising use of force during a breach of one of these resolutions

Economic and Social Council

• Jurisdiction over economy, peace and welfare, environment and social development matters

• 54 members elected by the UN for a 3 year term

International Court of Justice

• UN’s judiciary body

• Settles international civil disputes

• Rules over matters of international law

• Serves advisory opinions

• 15 judges elected by GA and SC

• Frequently meet as a whole

• Often serve as groups of 3

• Cannot command a state to appear before them, state must appear before them

• Based of the Chater of the UN

• Is a branch of the UN, so funding is allocated in the budget

Can investigate:

• When relating to any of the UN’s member states, only if they consent to appearing before them

Secretariat

• Responsible for UN’s day to day tasks

• Lead by secretary general - nominated by SC and elected by GA for a renewable 5 year term

Trusteeship council

• Provides supervision over UN’s trust terriroties

• Helps guide them into becoming independent state

• Currently suspended as all trust territories are states

• Composed of 5 permanent members of the SC and still elect a president and vice president

• Only meet when necessary

International Criminal Court

• Prosecutes political leaders and other individuals accused of international criminal crimes

• 105 members

• Based of the Rome Statute

• 18 judges elected for a 9 year term

• Contributions (funding) made by state parties

• Is its own organisation

Can investigate:

• Member states

• Crimes committed in member countries & by people in

• Crimes the SC wants the ICC to investigate

• Accused individuals

Stages of the Holocaust

1. Nuremberg laws

2. Kristallnacht - “The Night of Broken Glass”

3. Ghettos

4. Concentration camps

5. The Final Solution (death camps)

Einsatzgruppen

• Mobile killing units

• Targetting Jewish communities in Eastern Europe

• Due to invasion of the Soviet Union

Death Marches

• Due to Soviet advancements, SS guards marched Jews to concentration camps in the west of Europe

• Many died and were killed because they couldn’t keep up

• When they reached the camps, they were crammed in and so died of starvation or disease

• Moved them because they didn’t want prisoners to fall into enemy hands and therefore tell stories to Allied and Soviet liberators

Life in the Concentration Camps

• Possessions were confiscated

• Heads were shaven & arms tattooed

• Forced to wear prison uniforms

• Men, women and children were separated

• High levels of illness and malnutrition

• Had to survive German winters with very little clothing, shoes and blankets

Iranian Government

• Theocracy

• Head of state is a Shiite Cleric and referred to as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution

  • Appointed by an “assembly of experts”

  • Controls the judiciary, media, politics, military and the guardian council

• The people elect a president, who is 2nd in power to the Supreme Leader

• The Parliament votes on the budget and all decisions are vetted by the Guardian Council

• All laws must conform to the Supreme Leader interpretation of Islam