The term “self-government” describes in a broad sense the autonomous regulation of conditions by smaller social units [13. 1621]. However, it only entered political and legal language in this sense in the 19th century. Prior to this, the expression was generally used in relation to the self (in the psychological sense of self-control) [9. 207]. When it later began to be attached to a particular mode of government, it was at first chiefly in relation to the colonies. The German Selbstverwaltung had a simila…