International Cooperation

• Many Americans viewed U.S. isolationism and rejection of League of Nations after WWI as a mistake– Allowed for the rise of fascism and outbreak of

war• By the end of WWII, Americans were ready to

embrace the idea of a world organization• 1948—GATT—General Agreement on Tariffs

and Trade—designed to expand world trade by reducing tariffs

What’s Already in my Head?

The United Nations

Building a new organization

• P 707• Read the section• When finished, write a summary paragraph

about the United Nations including its founding, aim, General Assembly, and Security Council with permanent members

The United Nations• April 25, 1945—over 50 countries met in San

Francisco, CA to organize a new international political organization called the UN and ratify its charter

• Have a General Assembly in which each country gets one vote– Currently, 193 countries belong

The Security Council

• responsible for international peace and security– Five major Allied powers assigned permanent seats

—U.S., Britain, China, France, and Soviet Union• Each hold veto power to block resolutions

– Ten other nations rotate on two year terms

– Who were the five permanent members? Why them?

UN Purposes and Principles

• Summarize the four purposes of the United Nations in your own words

• Explain three principles that member nations must agree to to belong to the U.N.

Purposes

• Maintain international peace and security through collective action by member states

• Develop friendly relations among nations• Economic and social cooperation to solve

human problems• Create a center for nations to communicate

Principles

• All states are equal and must abide by the UN Charter

• All member states should settle their disputes by peaceful means and should refrain from the threat or use of force

• All members shall provide assistance to UN in action

• All members should not provide assistance to any state the UN is acting against

Branches of UN

• 6 total• The Economic and and Social Council works in

areas such as human rights and raising people’s standards of living

• The International Court of Justice handles disputes involving international law– Headquarters: The Hague in the Netherlands

UN Agencies

• World Bank lends money to countries for improvement in infrastructure (dams, irrigation, railroads)

• World Health Organization deals with worldwide health-related matters

• UNICEF—the United Nations Children’s Fund—provides aid for child development and care