EVOLUTION OF THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN CLASSICAL INTERNATIONAL LAW SOURCES: FROM THE WESTPHALIAN CONGRESS TO MODERN TRANSFORMATIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32689/2617-9660-2025-2(34)-52-58Keywords:
legal status, rights and freedoms, legal duties, legal responsibility, classical periodAbstract
Despite the growing attention to human rights and freedoms in contemporary international law, the genesis of a legal status of an individual as the foundation of their social existence remains insufficiently explored. The fragmented consideration of this issue, particularly regarding the international legal instruments of the classical era, highlights the need for further analysis of existing historical acts in order to systematically study the evolution of a legal position of an individual. The article examines the development of an international legal status of an individual through the lens of key normative documents adopted at the interstate level during the classical era of international law existence (1648 – early 20th century). The study reveals significant progress in the recognition of individual rights and freedoms in early modern international law following the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It is stated that the established principle of sovereignty and the absence of supranational international regulatory bodies at that time resulted in the incomplete protection of individuals against violations of their legal status. The article highlights the universal perception and guarantee of individual legal capacities after the adoption of the legal acts during the French Revolution (1789–1799). The study provides an analysis of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789 as well as the Constitution of 1791 and outlines their contribution to the formation of the rule of law principle. Emphasis is placed on the inclusion of provisions regarding duties and responsibilities of individuals in major international legal instruments of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The article argues the increased importance of forming a comprehensive approach to understanding of an individual as accountable for violations of existing norms of international law during the classical period. It is concluded that the notion of a legal status of an individual during the classical era of international law progressed from complete dependence on the state to the gradual recognition of universal rights and freedoms, which laid the foundation for further transformations in the 20th century.
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