{"id":2997,"date":"2018-11-12T22:54:04","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T22:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/?p=2997"},"modified":"2026-03-12T07:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:09:17","slug":"united-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crunchlearning.com\/website_ec2cbfb0\/united-nations\/","title":{"rendered":"United Nations: A Detailed Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that is headquartered in New York City, United States.\u00a0 It is one of the most important international organizations in the world today, as it deals with major issues facing humanity.\u00a0 For instance, the United Nations (UN) is tasked with promoting and maintaining peace between nations.\u00a0 This is achieved by creating a process and structure by which representatives of each country can talk to each other regularly and peacefully in hopes of avoiding major conflicts.\u00a0 The United Nations (UN) is also used as a way of dealing with other global issues, such as: human rights<\/a>, climate change, economic development, humanitarian crises, and more.\u00a0 Currently, there are 193 different member nations in the United Nations, meaning most of the world\u2019s countries are represented. Historians consider the United Nations (UN) to be significant to the following topics: internationalism<\/a>, globalization, nationalism and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations (UN) was the not the first international organization aimed at promoting and maintaining world peace.\u00a0 In fact, the League of Nations was created in 1920 following the death and destruction of World War I<\/a>.\u00a0 The First World War saw the major Powers in Europe carry out a devastating conflict from 1914 until 1918, which led to the death of millions.\u00a0 Because of the deadly war, several countries pushed for the creation of an international organization to help prevent another similar conflict.\u00a0 For example, American President Woodrow Wilson<\/a> was one of the main architects of the League of Nations.\u00a0 This is evident in Wilson\u2019s famous Fourteen Points<\/a>, in which he laid out a framework for European peace after World War I.\u00a0 However, the League of Nations did not achieve its goals and ultimately failed due to events that occurred in the timeframe between World War I and World War II<\/a>.\u00a0 For instance, the League of Nations failed to handle the growing aggression of fascist<\/a> regimes in Europe, which resulted in the outbreak of World War II<\/a>.\u00a0 For instance, Benito Mussolini<\/a> of Italy and Adolf Hitler <\/a>of Nazi Germany<\/a> rose to power during the interwar years and pushed Europe towards another major conflict. Due to the failure of the League of Nations, the world sought to create a new international organization following the end of World War II<\/a>, which led to the creation of the United Nations (UN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in 1937. (Colorized by historycrunch.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NATIONS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The UN had its beginnings in the early 1940s based on discussions by American President Franklin D. Roosevelt<\/a> and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.\u00a0 In fact, Roosevelt first used the term \u2018United Nations\u2019 in reference to the Allied Powers from World War II.\u00a0 The first official use of the term \u2018United Nations\u2019 was on January 1st, 1942 when 26 countries signed the \u2018United Nations Declarations\u2019.\u00a0 Participating countries included: the United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, China, Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand.\u00a0 This declaration centered on the Allied countries of World War II, working together to defeat Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic structure and operation of the UN was formalized at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference from September 21st to October 7th, 1944.  The major decisions at the conference were made by the primary Allied nations of World War II and included: United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union and China.  A year later, the UN was officially established on October 24th, 1945.  The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council included: France, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union and China.  The first General Assembly of the UN was held on January 10th, 146 and included representatives from over 50 different countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon after, the member nations of the UN decided to establish their headquarters in New York City.  The headquarters was completed in 1952 and the land that it sits on is officially considered international territory.  The first UN Secretary-General was Norwegian Foreign Minister, Trygve Lie.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bOne of the first issues the UN dealt with following its creation was the crisis facing the country of Palestine in the 1940s.  As such, on November 29th, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly approved the splitting of Palestine, which resulted in the creation of the state of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its creation in 1946, the UN has carried out many different missions, conferences and meetings aimed at avoiding or ending conflicts through peaceful negotiation.  Throughout the 20th century, many nations joined the UN, adding to its member list.  Below is a list of the major events in the history of the United Nations. (This list is not comprehensive, but rather a general sample of the many different missions and initiatives of the United Nations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.)\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n