United Nations
유엔
An intergovernmental organization founded in 1945 to maintain international peace and security after World War II, replacing the League of Nations. At the Yalta Conference, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin agreed on a voting formula that gave each of the five permanent Security Council members a veto, and at Soviet insistence Ukraine and Byelorussia were admitted as separate founding members alongside the USSR. Now comprising 193 member states and headquartered in New York, the UN conducts peacekeeping, human rights, development, and humanitarian work.
In depth
Origins
The name 'United Nations' was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt and first used in the Declaration by United Nations of 1 January 1942, originally denoting the Allied coalition against the Axis. After the League of Nations failed to prevent Japanese aggression in Manchuria, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and ultimately World War II, the Allies recognized the need for a stronger postwar body.
The Yalta Deal and the Veto
At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin agreed on the 'Yalta voting formula' establishing the veto power of the permanent Security Council members. Under this formula, procedural matters require the affirmative vote of any seven members, while substantive decisions require seven votes including the concurrence of all five permanent members. Stalin initially demanded UN membership for all 16 Soviet republics; after negotiation, Ukraine and Byelorussia were granted separate founding membership (invited to the San Francisco Conference in April 1945).
Founding and Structure
The UN Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco on 26 June 1945 and entered into force on 24 October 1945 upon ratification by the five permanent members and a majority of signatories. The principal organs are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the Trusteeship Council.
Cold War and After
During the Cold War, superpower division frequently paralysed the Security Council, though the UN authorized a US-led coalition in Korea in 1950 during a Soviet boycott. Decolonization brought a surge of new members in the 1960s, and in 1971 the People's Republic of China replaced the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Chinese seat. After the Cold War, UN peacekeeping expanded dramatically in both scale and scope.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) overview of founding, structure, and history; the UN Charter was signed 26 June 1945 and entered into force 24 October 1945; 193 member states; six principal organs
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian article confirming the Soviet perspective: OON created by anti-Hitler coalition, name first used in Declaration by United Nations 1 Jan 1942, Ukraine and Byelorussia as founding members alongside USSR
- Wikipedia (EN) Yalta voting formula for Security Council veto; Stalin's demand for 16 Soviet republics' membership narrowed to Ukraine and Byelorussia; Roosevelt obtained Stalin's commitment to join the UN
- history.state.gov FRUS 1945 Vol. I: the Yalta voting formula substitutes qualified majority voting for the League's complete unanimity; permanent members' veto is not a new right but a continuation of the League Council's practice
- un.org UN's own history: 50 nations gathered at San Francisco, Charter signed 26 June 1945, entered into force 24 October 1945
- un.org San Francisco Conference details: Byelorussian SSR and Ukrainian SSR invited as additional founding states alongside the 46 original invitees; Poland signed later as the 51st founding member