The United Nations is recognized as being established on October 24, 1945. The U.N. is an international assembly of nations dedicated to world peace. It is the successor to the League of Nations, a similar organization formed after World War I that failed to prevent another war.
Although talks of a new international organization had been discussed earlier during World War II, the United Nations was first outlined in the Dumbarton Oaks Proposals of 1944. At Yalta, the Big Three (United States, Great Britain, Soviet Union) settled certain issues between them concerning the U.N. From April 25 to June 25 in 1945, representatives from fourty-six nations negotiated the drafting of the United Nations charter in San Francisco. The United Nations was formed with six parts to it:
General Assembly: The legislative body of the U.N. where all nations are represented equally.
Security Council: Responsible for international peace and security issues, it has five permanent members (United States, Great Britain, France, China, and the Soviet Union) and other rotating members.
Economic and Social Council: Handles economic and social projects.
Trusteeship Council: This supervises U.N. trust territories - former colonies which have yet to become independent.
International Court of Justice: Settles international disputes.
Secretariat: The administrative branch of the U.N.
During the Cold War, the United Nations was host to the conflict between sides. The United States and the Soviet Union used the General Assembly to argue and verbally attack each other. Disagreements by the Soviet Union led to their use of the veto power on important matters seventy-five times in the first ten years of the U.N. The total amount of vetoes in that period of time was seventy-eight.
