United Nations

Question 1

What did PM Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt do to state their aims for the post-war world?

Answer 1

They signed the Atlantic Charter in 1941

Question 2

Churchill and Roosevelt were conscious regarding what about the League and they were keen to ensure?

Answer 2

They were conscious that the league was a failure and were keen to ensure that any new organization received the support of ALL nations

Question 3

What did the Atlantic charter reaffirm and indicate?

Answer 3

The Atlantic Charter re-affirmed the idea of self-determination and also indicated that a new world peace organization would be set up after the end of the war

Question 4

How and When was the Atlantic Charter confirmed?

Answer 4

The Atlantic Charter was confirmed by the signing of the United Nations Declaration in January 1942

Question 5

When was it decided to set up the ‘general organization’ for the meanwhile and where was this decided?

Answer 5

At meetings in 1943 in Teheran and Moscow it was decided to set up a ‘general organization’ before the end of hostilities.

Question 6

When and where was the conference which drew up the structure of the UN held?

Answer 6

The conference which drew up the structure of the UN was held in August 1944 at Dumbarton Oaks, near Washington DC.

Question 7

Who decided there would be a General Assembly

and a Security Council.

Answer 7

Diplomats from Great Britain, the USA, the USSR and China decided that there would be a General Assembly
and a Security Council.

Question 8

What would the Security Council be like?

Answer 8

The latter (Security Council) would have permanent representatives and others who would serve for a specific term.

Question 9

What were the disagreements about when structuring the UN and when and where were they resolved?

Answer 9

There were disagreements about how voting would take place but these were resolved at the Yalta Conference in early 1945.

Question 10

The United Nations would be set up for what?

Answer 10

The United Nations would be set up to be the mechanism for peacemaking and peacekeeping in the post- war world.

Question 11

What was the resolution regarding the disagreement about the Security Council? Explain the resolution meaning

Answer 11

At Yalta it was agreed that the Big Four - Britain, the USA, the USSR and China -would be permitted a veto in the Security Council. The veto meant that one of these four could block a Security Council decision simply by voting ‘No’.

Question 12

When and where did delegates from around the world meet to draft a charter for the new organization?

Answer 12

On 25 April 1945, delegates from around the world met in San Francisco in the USA to draft a charter for the new organization.

Question 13

How many representatives were there to draft the charter and how long did it take?

Answer 13

There were representatives from 50 nations and it took two months for the details to be agreed upon.

Question 14

When did the delegates formally sign the new UN Charter?

Answer 14

Finally, on 25 June 1945,

Question 15

How many articles were made in the UN and what are they about?

Answer 15

The UN Charter consisted of 111 articles that detailed the purposes of the UN and explained how it would work.

Question 16

How many bodies/organs were set up and what are there specific functions?

Answer 16

It set up six organs tocarry out specific functions: there was a General Assembly, a Security Council, an Economic and Social Council, a Trusteeship Council, an International Court of Justice, and a Secretariat.

Question 17

How-many members are there in the Security Council? Explain which members are permanent and how non-permanent members were selected

Answer 17

The Security Council was to consist of 11 members of the UN. There were initially five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, the USSR, the UK and the USA- The General Assembly would elect another six states to be non-permanent members.

Question 18

What responsibility was given by the member states to the Security Council and why?

Answer 18

In order for the UN to act quickly in a crisis the Security Council was given by the member states the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.

Question 19

How were decisions made in the Security Council

Answer 19

Each member of this Council had one vote. Decisions would be passed if there was agreement from seven members.

Question 20

What right was the UN/Security Council given regarding the International dispute or crisis put forth to resolve?

Answer 20

It had the right to investigate any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction or tension.

Question 21

What kind of power did the UN have to make nations comply with its decisions, objectives, and resolutions?

Answer 21

It had the power to impose partial or full economic sanctions, cut off rail1 sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio,and other means of communication and it could also cut diplomatic relations with a country.

Question 22

Most importantly, what alternative did UN have if other measures to make nations comply with its decisions didn’t work?

Answer 22

Importantly, however, the UN Security Council also had the power, if other measures had not worked, to use armed force. Indeed, it could use sea, land or air forces to strike a country that refused to comply with its decisions. The UN had its own ‘blue beret’ troops to keep the peace if necessary.

Question 23

The permanent members each had the power of what in decision making or resolution?

Answer 23

The permanent members each had the power of veto, which meant that they could block a resolution put forward by the other powers.

Question 24

How many members are in the General Assembly

Answer 24

The General Assembly consisted of all the members of the UN.

Question 25

What would the General Assembly discuss about?

Answer 25

It would discuss general principles on international peace and security and could make recommendations to promote international cooperation and promoted health and education and the realization of human rights and freedoms for all.

Question 26

What is the Economic and Social Council for?

Answer 26

The Economic and Social Council was set up to promote higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions for economic and social progress.
It was also to find solutions for international economic, social and health problems and promote cultural
and educational cooperation.

Question 27

What were the specialized agencies in the Economic and Social Council for?

Answer 27

It had specialized agencies, which had international responsibilities for economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and related fields.

Question 28

How many members in Economic and Social Council for and who elected them?

Answer 28

The Economic and Social Council consisted of 27 members, who were elected by the General Assembly.

Question 29

Whats The International Court of Justice for?

Answer 29

The International Court of Justice was set up as the principal judicial organ of the UN

Question 30

Who all were involved in The International Court of Justice and how many were allowed in the court and how were the decisions made?

Answer 30

All members of the UN were involved in the court. Each member of the UN agreed to comply with the decision of the court in any case that it ruled on. The court consisted of 15 members, each chosen from a different country.

Question 31

What was the Trusteeship Council for?

Answer 31

Trusteeship Council was responsible for territories whose peoples had not yet attained self-government and was to look after the interests of the inhabitants. The territories it looked after were called Trust Territories

Question 32

What was the aim of the Trusteeship Council?

Answer 32

This council aimed to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the Trust Territories and develop the territories towards self-government or independence.

Question 33

What or Who is The Secretariat in UN?

Answer 33

The Secretariat was chaired by the Secretary-General, who was the chief administrative officer for the UN.

Question 34

How was the secretariat made?

Answer 34

The Secretary-General would be appointed by the General Assembly and had staff to assist in running the organization.

Question 35

At its inception, and for the first decade and a half, the UN was dominated by?

Answer 35

the USA and its powerful Western allies.

Question 36

How did the influential powers or dominators of the UN CHANGED?

Answer 36

However, after the Second World War, the independence movements grew stronger and challenged their imperial
r u l e r s .

Question 37

whAT MADE The UN declare that it would foster and manage the transition from colonial rule to independence?

Answer 37

Weakened by the war and facing international criticism

of imperialism, the Europeans were not able to meet the increasingly organized and widespread decolonization movements.

Question 38

In order to do for the UN to be able to transit from colonial rule to independence, what did it do? What did the UN Charter state for this?

Answer 38

In order to do this the UN set up the International Trusteeship System. The UN Charter stated that the countries that had ‘trusteeship’ over colonial territories had to protect its people and prepare them for independence.

Question 39

What was done to ensure this transition was working properly?

Answer 39

The Trusteeship Council met yearly to check that this role was being properly carried out by the ‘trustees’

Question 40

When did UN set out the Declaration of Independence and what did this indicate/prove or denounce?

Answer 40

In 1960 the UN set out the Declaration of Independence, which formally denounced imperialism as a denial of human rights and an obstacle to world peace.

Question 41

What was the impact of UN Declaration of Independence?

Answer 41

From 1960, many former colonies became independent. The balance of power in the UN General Assembly shifted as each new country became a member state with one vote.

Question 42

the impact of the UN Declaration of Independence meant that the Western Allies were….? And because of?

Answer 42

This meant that from the late 1960s the Western allies were no longer the majority voice in the UN, with the new African and Asian states joining the organization. The new states could form their own blocs to vote on UN activities and resolutions.

Question 43

What became a common feature in the UN as nations or former colonies became independent and joined the UN? Give examples

Answer 43

Bloc voting became a feature of UN activities. There was the US-backed Western bloc, the USSR-led communist bloc, the developing nations bloc that included states from Africa, Asia and Latin America, a non-aligned bloc that attempted to be independent from the influence of thesuperpowers and the Islamic Conference of Islamic states in the Middle East and Asia

Question 44

What was in adition to the common feature in the UN?

Answer 44

In addition to these blocs there were also regional groupings for certain issues where votes would
be grouped into an African bloc, a Latin American bloc, a Western European bloc and an Arab bloc.

Question 45

many states in the UN argued that there should be the same principle for each component of the UN. What does this mean and when was this argued?

Answer 45

By the 1980s, many states in the UN argued that there should be the same principle for each component of the UN, in other words all states should be treated equally and have one vote in each UN body, including the Security C o u n c i l .

Question 46

Which country and when argued against the proposed idea by many states in the UN for the same principle for all components of the UN?

Answer 46

The USA argued against this stating in 1985 that
‘Voting rights [in the UN should be] proportionate to the contribution of each member state to the budget of the United Nations and its specialized agendes.’