Human Rights

Early 1900

By: Tan Sri Son | 05/07/2023

Human Rights in the 1900s: An Early Struggle for Equality and Justice

The concept of human rights in the early 1900s was not as globally recognized or codified as it is today. While the idea of basic rights for individuals had existed for centuries, particularly through political documents like the U.S. Bill of Rights (1791) or the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789), the 1900s marked a transitional period where awareness and demands for rights began to grow — especially among oppressed, colonized, and marginalized groups.

1. Limited Recognition

In 1900, human rights were mostly tied to citizenship, and only certain classes or races were protected. Women, indigenous people, enslaved populations, and colonized nations were excluded from many legal rights. In Western nations, basic civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly were recognized for white men, but rights for others were still a distant goal.

2. Key Issues and Struggles

Colonialism: European empires controlled large parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Indigenous people had no political rights and were often subjected to forced labor, violence, and exploitation.

Women's Rights: Women across the world lacked voting rights, access to education, and property rights. Movements for women's suffrage were growing in the UK, USA, and New Zealand (which gave women the vote in 1893).

Labor Rights: Industrialization led to poor working conditions, child labor, and exploitation. Workers began forming unions and protesting for fair wages, shorter hours, and safer conditions.

Racial Discrimination: In countries like the United States and South Africa, racial segregation and institutional racism were legal. The African American civil rights movement had not yet begun, but early leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois were laying the groundwork.

Genocides and Massacres: Atrocities such as the Herero and Namaqua genocide (1904–1908) in German South-West Africa were committed without international consequences. There was no legal system to prosecute such crimes.

3. Beginning of International Efforts

Although international human rights law did not yet exist, there were early attempts:

The International Red Cross (founded in 1863) was active in promoting humanitarian treatment during wartime.

The Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907) attempted to set rules for warfare and the treatment of prisoners and civilians during conflicts.

Activists and intellectuals around the world began advocating for universal human dignity, influenced by Enlightenment ideals and religious teachings.

Conclusion

In the year 1900, human rights were an emerging idea, mostly limited by race, gender, class, and empire. While the modern legal framework of human rights had not yet developed, the seeds of change were being planted by labor movements, suffragettes, anti-slavery advocates, and early international institutions. The struggles of this era set the stage for the global human rights revolutions of the 20th century.

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