What did the principle of self-determination primarily justify after World War I?

• A. Creation of nation-states
• B. Imperial expansion
• C. Rebuilding colonial empires
• D. Preserving existing borders

Answer: (A)

Self-determination is the idea that a people should govern themselves and decide their own political future. After World War I, this principle was used to justify creating new nation-states whose borders align with national or ethnic identities as much as possible. The idea, articulated in Wilson’s Fourteen Points, influenced the Paris Peace Conference and the redrawing of Europe’s map, leading to the re-emergence of countries like Poland and the creation of states such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. It stands in contrast to imperial expansion, rebuilding colonial empires, or simply preserving existing borders. In short, it supported forming sovereign states based on national self-rule.