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Unlock This CourseThe Second World War ended in 1945 after millions of deaths. Leaders wanted a way to stop another world war, so countries created the United Nations (UN) in 1945. Today it has 193 member states, which is almost every country in the world.
The UN's rules are written in the UN Charter. Its main aims are:
To keep international peace and security.
To build friendly relations between nations.
To work together on problems and to promote human rights.
Key terms:
The UN has several parts. Three matter most for peace.
Has 15 members. Five are permanent (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States). Ten are elected by the other members for two years at a time.
All 193 member states sit here and each has one vote. It debates world problems and makes recommendations.
The UN's top official. They run the organisation and can offer to help countries in dispute.
The Security Council has the most power over peace and war. It can call for a ceasefire (an agreement to stop fighting), impose sanctions (penalties such as banning trade) and authorise the use of force. Each of the five permanent members has a veto, which means that if any one of them votes no, the decision fails.
Key terms:
Peacekeepers, nicknamed 'blue helmets', are soldiers and police lent to the UN by member states. They monitor ceasefires and protect civilians. They are sent only where the sides agree to their presence, and they are not there to fight a war. A UN force has been in Cyprus since 1964. The mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was met in Three Conflicts in the World Today.
Mediation means a neutral person helps two sides to talk and reach an agreement. The UN often brings enemies to the same table so that they can talk instead of fighting.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) sits in The Hague in the Netherlands. It settles legal disputes between countries, for example over borders, if the countries agree to use it.
UN agencies such as UNICEF, the World Food Programme and UNHCR give food, shelter and protection to victims of conflict, including refugees. Helping people in need can reduce the anger that fuels new fighting.
Key terms:
The UN has not stopped every war, but the world has not seen another world war since 1945. Its peacekeepers have helped to hold ceasefires, and its agencies have helped millions of people.
It gives countries a place to talk. Peacekeepers have protected civilians and kept ceasefires in place. Sanctions and international pressure have sometimes changed what governments do. Its agencies bring food and aid.
The veto means one permanent member can block action, often to protect itself or an ally. The UN has no army of its own, so it relies on members to supply troops and money. It cannot force a country to obey if the country refuses.
There have also been serious failures. In 1994 around 800,000 people were killed in the genocide in Rwanda, and the UN force there was small and did not have the support to stop it. In 1995 thousands of men and boys were killed at Srebrenica, a town in Bosnia that the UN had named a safe area. After both events the UN looked again at how it works.
How far is the UN effective? Supporters say that without it there would be more wars, and that it is the only place where nearly every country meets. Critics say it is too slow, that the veto stops it from acting, and that powerful countries ignore it when it suits them. Many people reach a middle view: the UN is useful but only as strong as the countries that back it.
Paper 1 style
(a) Identify three parts or bodies of the United Nations. [3 marks] (AO1)
(b) Outline two ways in which the United Nations tries to keep the peace. [4 marks] (AO1)
(c) Explain why the veto can limit what the United Nations does. [6 marks] (AO1, AO2)
(d) 'The United Nations is the best way to keep the peace.'
Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks] (AO1, AO2)
(a) 1. The Security Council (1) 2. The General Assembly (1) 3. The International Court of Justice (1)
(b) It sends peacekeepers, called blue helmets, to monitor ceasefires (1), which helps to stop the fighting starting again and protects civilians (1). It brings opponents together for mediation and peace talks (1), so that they can settle their dispute by talking instead of fighting (1).
(c) The veto means that each of the five permanent members of the Security Council, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, can block a decision on its own. This limits the UN because even if the other fourteen members want to act, one vote against stops a ceasefire call, sanctions or the use of force. A permanent member may use its veto to protect itself or a friendly country, so the Council may not act in the very conflicts where it is most needed. This also means decisions can be slow, as the members must find a compromise. Because the UN depends on its members for troops and money, it has no way of forcing a permanent member to give way. As a result the UN can look weak, and people may lose trust in it. (Level 2: terms used correctly, a full explanation and the effect on the UN's work.)
(d) Plan. For: it is the only body where almost every country meets; peacekeepers and mediation have kept ceasefires and saved lives; it has helped to avoid another world war; it can use sanctions and the Court, which no single country can do. Against: the veto can block action; it relies on members for troops and money; failures in Rwanda in 1994 and Srebrenica in 1995; it cannot make a country obey; religious and local peacemakers, such as faith leaders who talk to both sides, can build trust that the UN cannot. Religion: add a teaching from your own religion about peace or working with others for peace, and say whether it supports the UN's aims or suggests another way. Possible conclusion: the UN is one of the best ways to keep the peace because it is the only global body with this reach, but it works best alongside other peacemakers, since it is held back by the veto and by its need for member support.
In (c), do not just say what the veto is. Say what happens because of it: one vote blocks the rest, and the UN cannot act. That is the difference between a Level 1 and a Level 2 answer.