The League of Nations was an international organisation that started in 1920 (until 1946), out of the WW1 crisis. Based in Geneva, the League vowed to promote inter-national cooperation and preserve global peace. The League won some success eg in 1926 Germany joined as a permanent of the League of Nations, a politically important move that recognised Germany’s power. However as the League lacked an armed force of its own and depended on the (reluctant) Great Powers to enforce its resolutions, it failed totally to prevent WW2. ![]()
In the meantime, the idea for creating a new international organisation dedicated to maintaining peace emerged in 1941, but it took years of planning.
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Great Britain, U.S, China and Soviet Union met in Moscow and signed the Moscow Declaration in Oct 1943. The Declaration pledged joint international action in dealing with the enemies’ surrender. Two months later, Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met in the Tehran Conference in Dec 1943, where they worked out the Allies final strategy for winning the war. It is hard to believe they thought that their discussions would win the war in 1943!
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Delighted delegates filed to a huge, round table to sign for the final time
San Francisco, June 1945,
Success was never guaranteed by the U.N. One example will do. The rebellion by several Muslims groups in India-administered Kashmir, who wanted either a merger with Pakistan or independence, gained urgency after 1989. Even when UN peace keepers were placed there, c70,000 were still killed by security forces.
Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill
met in the Teheran Conference, Dec 1943,
met in the Teheran Conference, Dec 1943,
Quora
Much of Europe had fallen to the Axis powers and the British capital had already suffered from 22 months of bombing. Yet in June 1941 the representatives of a] Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and of b] the 9 exiled governments from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Norway, Netherlands and the Free French etc, met in London to sign the Declaration of St James Palace. They pledged their solidarity in winning victory against the Axis powers!! But 1941, when the Axis powers were winning, was a difficult time to achieve world peace surely!
In Aug Roosevelt and Churchill met at sea, issuing the joint Atlantic Charter (Aug 1941). They declared that after the final destruction of Nazi tyranny, they hoped for a peace that would give all nations the means of dwelling in safety with their own boundaries, living in freedom from fear. Another clause required nations to abandon the use of force. And peoples had the right to choose their own government. The Atlantic Charter created a profound impression on the Allies and the occupied countries, even though the Charter had little legal validity. It was signed in Sept by the USSR and the 9 exiled governments of occupied Europe.
Roosevelt, Churchill, Litvinov (USSR) and Soong (China) created a short document called the Declaration by United Nations (Jan 1942). Governments that signed this declaration pledged to accept the Charter and agreed not to negotiate a separate peace with Axis powers.
In Aug Roosevelt and Churchill met at sea, issuing the joint Atlantic Charter (Aug 1941). They declared that after the final destruction of Nazi tyranny, they hoped for a peace that would give all nations the means of dwelling in safety with their own boundaries, living in freedom from fear. Another clause required nations to abandon the use of force. And peoples had the right to choose their own government. The Atlantic Charter created a profound impression on the Allies and the occupied countries, even though the Charter had little legal validity. It was signed in Sept by the USSR and the 9 exiled governments of occupied Europe.
Roosevelt, Churchill, Litvinov (USSR) and Soong (China) created a short document called the Declaration by United Nations (Jan 1942). Governments that signed this declaration pledged to accept the Charter and agreed not to negotiate a separate peace with Axis powers.
First working session
Judicial meeting in San Francisco, April 1945.
U.N Office of Legal Affairs
Judicial meeting in San Francisco, April 1945.
U.N Office of Legal Affairs
Great Britain, U.S, China and Soviet Union met in Moscow and signed the Moscow Declaration in Oct 1943. The Declaration pledged joint international action in dealing with the enemies’ surrender. Two months later, Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill met in the Tehran Conference in Dec 1943, where they worked out the Allies final strategy for winning the war. It is hard to believe they thought that their discussions would win the war in 1943!
Note the principles underlying an international organisation had already been specified in declarations since 1941. Now a blueprint had to be prepared, then accepted by the nations. So representatives of China, Great Britain, USSR and U.S met at Dumbarton Oaks in 1944 in Washington DC. By Oct 1944, a proposal for the new structure was submitted to all the U.N governments for discussion, including the 5 principal bodies that would make up the U.N organisation.
Member states gave armed forces to the Security Council, if needed, to suppress aggression. The absence of such forces had been a fatal weakness in the old League of Nations!
The voting procedure in the Security Council was urgently addressed at Yalta in the Crimea in 1944 where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, together with their foreign ministers, again met in 1945.
44 nations were invited to the San Francisco Conference in 1945: nations that had declared war on Germany & Japan and had signed the UN Declaration. Then 6 more countries were invited. Thus delegates from 50 nations gathered, representing 80+% of the world's population. Writing the charter took two months (Ap-Jun 1945) then every part of it had to be voted on, and accepted by a 2/3 majority.
Delegates met in San Francisco Opera House for the last session in Jun 1945 where the Chairman announced the Charter had been passed unanimously. Cheering delegates filed to a huge round table on which lay the two historic volumes, the Charter and the Statute of the International Court of Justice, alongside the 50 nations’ flags.
In many countries the Charter had to be approved by their parliaments. Thus the Charter would come into force ONLY when the Governments of China, France, Great Britain, Soviet Union and U.S, AND a majority of the other signatory states, had ratified it.
In Oct 1945, this condition was fulfilled and the U.N came into existence after 4 years of planning. The U.N was given six main bodies: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (established 1946), Trusteeship Council and Secretariat are based at UN Headquarters in New York. The 6th, International Court of Justice, is located at The Hague. The U.N does not have an army and imposes no taxes. It depends on the political will of its Members to have its decisions activated.
When the U.N was founded in 1945, c750 million people, a third of the world's population, lived in territories that were dependent on colonial powers. Today under 2 million people live under colonial rule in the 17 remaining non-self-governing territories. The wave of decolonisation was born with the UN and represented the world body’s first great success. As a result, many countries became independent and joined the UN. And others still will. Sofar there are 193 UN member states.
Member states gave armed forces to the Security Council, if needed, to suppress aggression. The absence of such forces had been a fatal weakness in the old League of Nations!
The voting procedure in the Security Council was urgently addressed at Yalta in the Crimea in 1944 where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, together with their foreign ministers, again met in 1945.
44 nations were invited to the San Francisco Conference in 1945: nations that had declared war on Germany & Japan and had signed the UN Declaration. Then 6 more countries were invited. Thus delegates from 50 nations gathered, representing 80+% of the world's population. Writing the charter took two months (Ap-Jun 1945) then every part of it had to be voted on, and accepted by a 2/3 majority.
Delegates met in San Francisco Opera House for the last session in Jun 1945 where the Chairman announced the Charter had been passed unanimously. Cheering delegates filed to a huge round table on which lay the two historic volumes, the Charter and the Statute of the International Court of Justice, alongside the 50 nations’ flags.
In many countries the Charter had to be approved by their parliaments. Thus the Charter would come into force ONLY when the Governments of China, France, Great Britain, Soviet Union and U.S, AND a majority of the other signatory states, had ratified it.
In Oct 1945, this condition was fulfilled and the U.N came into existence after 4 years of planning. The U.N was given six main bodies: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (established 1946), Trusteeship Council and Secretariat are based at UN Headquarters in New York. The 6th, International Court of Justice, is located at The Hague. The U.N does not have an army and imposes no taxes. It depends on the political will of its Members to have its decisions activated.
When the U.N was founded in 1945, c750 million people, a third of the world's population, lived in territories that were dependent on colonial powers. Today under 2 million people live under colonial rule in the 17 remaining non-self-governing territories. The wave of decolonisation was born with the UN and represented the world body’s first great success. As a result, many countries became independent and joined the UN. And others still will. Sofar there are 193 UN member states.
San Francisco, June 1945,
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Success was never guaranteed by the U.N. One example will do. The rebellion by several Muslims groups in India-administered Kashmir, who wanted either a merger with Pakistan or independence, gained urgency after 1989. Even when UN peace keepers were placed there, c70,000 were still killed by security forces.