Post-World War One Plebiscites and Their Legacies Exploring the Right of Self-Determination

• Main Author: Bober, Sergiusz
• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Budapest Amsterdam University Press 2024; Central European University Press
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: 1918-1945; 20th Century; 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999; c 1500 onwards to present day; Campaigns & Elections; Democracy; Elections and referenda / suffrage; Europe; History; HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century; History and Archaeology; History: specific events and topics; Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999; Minority rights; Modern; Plebiscite; Political Ideologies; Political Process; Political Science; Political structure and processes; Political structures: democracy; Politics and government; Referendum; self-determination; Self-determination, National; Society and Social Sciences; Territorial questions; Time period qualifiers; World War, 1914-1918; Minority rights; self-determination; 20th Century; History, Art History, and Archaeology; Elections and referenda; Sociology and Social History; History: specific events and topics; Modern; Opening the Future; Active; CEU Press; POLITICAL SCIENCE; Political structures: democracy; Political Ideologies; Democracy; Niet accessible; HISTORY; Minority rights; self-determination
• ISBN: 9789633866108; 9633867797; 9789633867792; 9633866103; 9633866111; 9789633866115
• DOI: 10.1515/9789633866115

Plebiscites, or referendums, are epitomes of direct democracy and the right of self-determination. While direct democracy has always been a key subject in the theory and practice of western liberal democracies, the issue of self-determination has been propelled to the fore by the hegemonistic moves of Russia. By providing a historical analysis of the post-World War One plebiscites, this book deals with enduring, painfully contemporary, and in in any case fundamental, concepts. The contributors to this edited volume approach the referendums comparatively. After grounding the analysis theoretically, the authors look at detailed aspects of individual cases, with the two plebiscites held in the Danish-German border region of Schleswig in the winter of 1920 as points of departure. They then extend the exploration through the inter-war period and address the effects of border delimitations on everyday life or gender roles in the context of ethnic mobilization. Finally, the book places the post-World War One plebiscites in a long-term perspective. The concluding essays assess, among others, the applicability of plebiscitary solutions to contemporary conflicts, taking into consideration issues of borders, religion, language, identity, and minority rights.