In general, the right to self-determination means the right of a group of people to freely determine and control their own political, economic or socio-cultural destinies. The development of the right to self-determination goes hand in hand with the development of government. This law or concept traces its origins as a political and constitutional principle to the democratic principles proclaimed by the American and French revolutions of 1776 and 1789 respectively. However, its development as a legal principle of international law can be traced back to the works of Joseph Stalin and Woodrow Wilson in 1913 and 1916 respectively. TYPES OF SELF-DETERMINATION There are two types of self-determination;1. Internal self-determination2. External self-determination• Internal self-determination means participatory democracy as it is seen as the right to decide on the form and identity of the rulers by the citizens of a state and the right of a particular group of people in the state to participate in the decision-making process of the state and at the state level as a leader. Internal self-determination can also be understood as the right of the people to exercise their own cultural, linguistic, religious or political practices within their own state. • External self-determination means the right to decide on the political status of a people and its place on the international scene vis-à-vis other states, including the right to secede from existing states to which the person or group of people belongs and to establish a new Independent state. External self-determination is also described as total self-determination. CRITICISM OF THE RIGHT Financial cost of self-determination – It is argued that the economic or financial cost resulting from the acquisition of ... means of paper ... of minority peoples and communities. In this regard, it is important to understand self-determination as a continuous process of choice for achieving human security and satisfying human needs with a wide range of possible outcomes and expressions suited to different specific situations. These may include guarantees of cultural security, forms of self-government and autonomy, economic autonomy, effective participation at the international level, land rights and the ability to care for the natural environment, spiritual freedom and the various forms that ensure the free expression and protection of collective identity in dignity. Self-determination is important as it helps bring about fully participatory democratic processes among people seeking the realization of self-determination, this may include a referendum where appropriate.