The History

The United Nations was formed after World War II, in 1945, and to replace the ineffective League of Nations that was established after the First World War. The main difference between the two is that the U.N. has the power to deploy its member’s troops, but only as peace keepers. The original major members of the United Nations were: the United States, USSR, Republic of China, Great Britain, and France.  Currently there are 192 nations involved in the U.N. Almost any independent state in the world is part of the U.N., the major exclusion is Switzerland and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

It is important to understand that this declaration came at a time when the world had just been enlightened to the travesties of the Holocaust. While this is not the only reason for the declaration, it is a main pushing point for the ratification of the rights.

Back to Declaration