Category UN family of Nations

In 1945, the UN had only 51 members including the five permanent member states. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of members by four times. The UN now has 193 members. All the 193 members have a seat and equal representation in the General Assembly.

There are two reasons for the increase in the membership of the UN. Countries like the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia split up to form more independent states. The Soviet Union split to form fifteen independent countries. In addition to this, the end of the European colonial empires led to the formation of new countries.

The number of members increased as more countries were created. For instance, in 1960, when the European empires began to lose their power in Africa, many independent countries were formed like Cameroon, Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Benn and Gabon. All these countries joined the UN.

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The Second World War began in 1939 and it turned out to be more fatal than the First World War. A state of insecurity and destruction lingered everywhere during the war years. The League of Nations had failed and there was an urgent need to re-establish peace and order.

It happened in 1941. US President Franklin D Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill came up with a document known as the Atlantic Charter. The Charter called for the formation of a new organisation to maintain peace. Later, representatives of 26 countries met and accepted the Charter and signed a document known as the Declaration of the United Nations. This was the beginning of the UN.

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Apart from promoting peace, the UN does have other goals. The UN works across the world to improve social and economic well-being. In simple words, the UN can be seen as the government of the world, that works around the clock to make our world a better place.

The UN is a meeting point that brings together all the independent nations and gives space for them to work closely.

The UN can also be viewed as a club where the countries can get a membership and enjoy the benefits it provides. The benefits include humanitarian aid, international law, and support at the times of crisis.

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The failure of the League of Nations led to the Second World War. With the Second World War came the necessity to establish world peace again.

Along with maintaining world peace, it was important to develop healthy relationships between the countries, promote co-operation in international affairs, and promote and respect human rights. Drawing from the failure of the League of Nations, a stronger foundation was laid this time. A new intergovernmental organisation came into existence to fill the gap left by the League of Nations- the United Nations.

The United Nations successfully brought together the countries of the world that are small and big, rich and poor, and have different social, cultural and political backgrounds. In short, the UN is an organisation of the countries that have agreed to co-operate with one another and settle all the disputes peacefully.

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The Second World War broke out during the active years of the League of Nations. The war itself was the proof of the failure of the League’s primary objective- to prevent future wars.

Most of the members of the League did not involve in the war and remained neutral. But some countries chose to go to war.

Germany formed the Axis Powers together with Italy and Japan. The League was not able to efficiently prevent the aggression of the Axis Powers during the war. Soon, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and some other countries withdrew from the League.

With these major members leaving and other important countries like the US and the Soviet Union staying out of it, the League began to lose its credibility and its offices were dismantled. It stopped functioning altogether in 1946. The United Nations took shape after that.

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The First World War killed around 13 million people and most of Europe was left in shatters. UP President Woodrow Wilson came up with a scheme to stop such events from being repeated.

Thirty countries agreed on a proposal to form a commission that would work to bring international peace. This was the first time the world leaders came up with such an effort and the result was the League of Nations.

The League of Nations was an international organisation that was formed after the First World War. It was founded in 1920 to solve the disputes between countries and stop the possibility of open warfare.

It is the world’s first inter-governmental organisation that worked to maintain global peace. It also worked to stop human and drug trafficking, the arms trade, and to improve global health. Though the League had a significant impact in solving international disputes, it stopped functioning in April, 1946.

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