United Nations Founded
October 24, 1945 · 20th Century
The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945, when its Charter, previously signed by 50 nations at the San Francisco Conference on June 26, 1945, was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories. The organization was created to maintain international peace and security following World War II, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and harmonize the actions of nations.
Key Figures
Harry S. TrumanEdward Stettinius Jr.Anthony EdenVyacheslav MolotovT.V. Soong
Locations
San FranciscoVeterans War Memorial BuildingWar Memorial Opera House
Topics
international cooperationunited nationssecurityhuman rightspeace
Connected Events — 4 Connections
Postwar international order and self-determination principles established by the UN created the framework within which Britain accelerated Indian decolonization Partition of India
Created the institutional framework and legal foundation that enabled the UN General Assembly to draft and adopt the world's first universal statement of human rights principles Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Triggered World War II, which devastated existing international order and demonstrated the failure of the League of Nations, creating the necessity and political will for a more effective global peacekeeping organization Germany Invades Poland
The Bretton Woods institutions became the economic counterpart to the United Nations political framework established a year later Bretton Woods Conference
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