United Nations

(noun)

An intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation founded in 1945.

Related Terms

Examples of United Nations in the following topics:

  • The United Nations

    • Upon the ratification of the Charter of the United Nations in October 1945, the United Nations was officially established.
    • Because of the widespread recognition that humankind could not afford a third world war, the United Nations was established to replace the flawed League of Nations in 1945.
    • Roosevelt first coined the term 'United Nations' as a term to describe the Allied countries.
    • The United Nations Peacekeeping began in 1948.
    • A map of the world showing when countries joined the United Nations.

  • The Kellogg-Briand Pact

    • It is named after its authors: United States Secretary of State Frank B.
    • In 1927, with rumblings of discontent in Germany, France approached the United States with a proposal that the two nations enter into a defensive alliance.
    • The United States Senate approved the Pact overwhelmingly, 85–1.
    • The Pact was initially signed initially by fifteen nations, including France, the United States, and Germany.
    • The interdiction of aggressive war was confirmed and broadened by the United Nations Charter, which provides in article 2, paragraph 4, that "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. " One legal consequence of this is that it is clearly unlawful to annex territory by force.

  • The Invasion of Grenada

    • The Invasion of Grenada was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation.
    • The Invasion of Grenada was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 91,000, located 100 miles (160 km) north of Venezuela.
    • Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974.
    • The United Nations General Assembly condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law" by a vote of 108 in favour to 9, with 27 abstentions.The United Nations Security Council considered a similar resolution, which failed to pass when vetoed by the United States.
    • Includes Royal Barbados Police Force personnel and soldiers of unknown nationality.

  • Superpower Rivalry

    • As the majority of World War II had been fought far from its national boundaries, the United States had not suffered the industrial destruction or massive civilian casualties that marked the wartime situation of the countries in Europe or Asia.
    • Similarly, the war had reinforced the position of the United States as the world's largest long-term creditor nation and its principal supplier of goods.
    • By 1947, the United States took the lead in containing Soviet expansion in the Cold War.
    • Despite attempts to create multinational coalitions or legislative bodies (such as the United Nations), it became increasingly clear that the superpowers had very different visions about what the post-war world ought to look like.
    • Most of Europe became aligned with either the United States or the Soviet Union.

  • Postwar Isolationism

    • The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, which automatically rejected the United States' membership in the League of Nations.
    • Although the United States was unwilling to commit to the League of Nations, the country followed ambiguous foreign policy and signed a number of international treaties and agreements.
    • In August 1928, Germany, France and the United States signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, brainchild of American Secretary of State Frank Kellogg and French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand (following the original signatories, other nations joined, eventually reaching the number of 62).
    • However, it did not hold the United States to the conditions of any existing treaties, it still allowed European nations the right to self-defense, and it stated that if one nation broke the Pact, it would be up to the other signatories to enforce it.
    • The first came in 1939 with the passage of the Fourth Neutrality Act, which permitted the United States to trade arms with belligerent nations, as long as these nations came to America to retrieve the arms, and pay for them in cash.

  • Roosevelt and Conservation

    • Roosevelt established the United States Forest Service, signed into law the creation of five national parks, and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he designated 18 new U.S. national monuments.
    • He also established the first 51 bird reserves, 4 game preserves, and 150 national forests, including the nation's first, Shoshone National Forest.
    • The area of the United States that he placed under public protection totals approximately 230,000,000 acres.
    • In 1905, his department gained control of the national forest reserves.
    • Roosevelt delivered the opening address: "Conservation as a National Duty."

  • Conclusion: The Effects of Westward Expansion

    • After 1800, the United States militantly expanded westward across the continent.
    • Illustrated by the white, blonde, feminine figure of Columbia, the historical personification of the United States, people saw the nation's mission as one of bringing education, modern technology, and civilization to the West and driving away the "uncivilized" American Indians.
    • President James Polk’s administration (1845–1849) was a period of intensive expansion for the United States.
    • Efforts to seize western territories from native peoples and expand the republic by warring with Mexico succeeded beyond expectations; few nations had ever expanded so quickly.
    • As tensions mounted and both sides hurled accusations, national unity frayed.

  • The Immigration Act of 1965

    • The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 changed national immigration regulations to a model based on skills and family relationships.
    • The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (also known as the Hart-Celler Act) changed the nation's laws regulating immigration.
    • The act had a profound and long-term affect on immigration into the United States and, thus, on American demographics.
    • The majority of the American people were opposed to the Immigration and Nationality Act, largely due to xenophobia and fears of how immigrants from these nations could influence the dominant white culture of the United States.
    • Despite economic fears held by many, immigrants have made significant contributions to the overall economy in the United States.

  • The Second Bank of the United States

    • The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter.
    • One of the policies of the American System was to create financial infrastructure in the form of a government sponsored National Bank to issue currency and encourage commerce.
    • The debt of the nation led to an increase in banknotes among private banks, and as a result, inflation increased greatly.
    • In the summer of 1818, the national bank managers realized the bank's massive overextension and instituted a policy of contraction and the calling in of loans.
    • The south facade of the building that housed the Second Bank of the United States is located at 4th and Chestnut Streets in Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  • The Women's Rights Movement

    • The National Woman's Party (NWP) was a women's organization founded by Alice Paul in 1913 that fought for women's rights during the early 20th century in the United States, particularly for the right to vote on the same terms as men .
    • The National Woman's Party also opposed World War I.
    • The picketers were tolerated at first, but when they continued to picket after the United States declared war in 1917, they were arrested by police for obstructing traffic.
    • The resulting scandal, and its negative impact on the country's international reputation at a time when Wilson was trying to build a reputation for himself and the nation as an international leader in human rights, may have contributed to Wilson's decision to publicly call for the United States Congress to pass the Suffrage Amendment.
    • Evaluate how the actions of the National Women's Party pressured Wilson to support the Suffrage Amendment