1. 1945 RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT PERIOD 5

2. UNITED NATIONS  Founded in 1945 by victorious Allied powers  PURPOSES:  Prevent war  Guard human rights  Promote economic development  Located in Manhattan (left)

3. OTHER  Security Council, General Assembly, Secretary- General  Has grown from 50 countries (1945) to almost 192.  Aid to developing countries, refugees, disease control.  Peacekeeping forces around the world.  Holds trials for international law, such as for war crimes

4. PRE-WORLD WAR II PROBLEM  Helps resolve conflicts between countries before they can escalate into another world war.  Replaced League of Nations, which was unable to prevent World War II.  Remedied faults of League like lack of unity, inability to negotiate, lack of power to enforce its decisions.

5. WAR CRIMES TRIALS  Nuremberg trials  Tried the top Nazi leaders for four counts: crimes against humanity, conspiracy, waging aggressive war and war crimes.  Conducted by Allied powers: U.S., U.S.S.R., Britain, France.  Held to expose record of Nazi crimes to public and to history  Key figure was Robert Jackson of U.S. Supreme Court

6.  Defendants claimed “Good German” defense – “I was just following orders.”  Of 21 defendants, 12 were executed, one acquitted, rest put in prison for life.

7.  Set example for future so that mass genocide and aggressive war would not be attempted again.  Allies cooperated to show extent of Nazi crimes.  Basis of war crimes trials and hearings in Europe and many countries.  Right, trial of Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia.

8. UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS  Signed December 10, 1948  Adopted by U.N. General Assembly.  Made up of 30 articles.  Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental

9.  Set international standard for rights  Economic, political and social rights and freedoms of every person  Designed to prevent future crimes against humanity, to prevent hatred, and guarantee human rights to all people.

10. BRETTON WOODS CONFERENCE AND AGREEMENTS  Held in 1944 in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire – a ski resort  Reached agreements on postwar finances  Conference to establish international bank and currency standards.

11. PURPOSES  Allies believed Great Depression had helped lead to World War II. Germany’s debts and currency instability led to dictatorship.  Wanted to promote expansion of international trade by stabilizing currency exchange.  Wanted to help Europe rebuild from war damage.

12. AGREEMENTS  Value of currencies to be based on U.S. dollar (strongest economy; only one with no war damage)  Started World Bank and International Monetary Fund to lend money for reconstruction.  Both are still in existence and tremendously influential in developing world.  President of World Bank is always an American, by tradition.

13. YALTA CONFERENCE AND AGREEMENTS  Meeting of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in February, 1945  Yalta, a Black Sea resort in USSR  Discussed ways to win war and what to do after war ended.  Didn’t trust Germany to regain its power.

14. ELEMENTS OF YALTA AGREEMENTS  Divide Germany into four occupation zones.  Establish United Nations organization.  Germany to pay  USSR to join war against Japan in 3 mos.  Poland to have free election.

15. LEADS TO PROBLEMS