Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Declaration Of Human Rights Essay

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in 1948 and was one of the first documents that established universal human rights. The Declaration was welcomed by all the nations of the world and continues to remain in effect to this very day. This document is composed of a preamble that is followed by thirty articles. The most essential part of the document is acknowledging and establishing universal human rights. In the preamble of the Declaration, it states “THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” In my opinion, this is perhaps the most essential element of the entire document because it strives towards establishing the foundations of a common …show more content…

This was something that I found surprising because of the historical events leading up to the ratification of the Declaration. The Jews and Armenians had no way of protecting themselves; countries that were invaded had no way of protecting themselves; people who were ruled by tyrants had no way of protecting themselves. Should the people be allowed to defend themselves from the rule of tyrannical governments, genocide/persecution, and domestic or foreign threats? I feel that this is a massive weakness because if the Declaration of Human Rights was established to give human rights, then why did it not allow the people to have the right to protect themselves. Overall, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has its strengths and weaknesses, however, one cannot deny its historical significance of creating a common standard of universal human rights. Only time will tell if the Declaration turns out to be a success or a failure. In the end, the Declaration of Human Rights greatest accomplishment is helping unify