Creating the United Nations
An International History of a World Organization
Will be published approx. on 7. January 2027
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-350-52156-8 (ISBN)
Description
80 years on from the creation of the United Nations during WWII, this book offers the first international history of its establishment. Often thought as the brainchild of the United States, Andrew Erhardt shows that it was instead the result of international collaboration between a number of nation states, non-government organizations and individuals determined to build a world organization that might keep the peace in a war-torn world.
As scholars, analysts and leading statesmen question whether the UN, and international organizations more broadly, remain fit for purpose in our 21st century world, Creating the United Nations takes us back to the beginning, to understand its original purpose, genesis and ultimate design. Only with this historical understanding - one that shines light on the central as well as the forgotten voices - can we begin to discuss how the United Nations might be reformed, to assess whether new forms of regional and international organisation are needed to address recurrent and new challenges, and to examine how such systems might be brought into existence.
As scholars, analysts and leading statesmen question whether the UN, and international organizations more broadly, remain fit for purpose in our 21st century world, Creating the United Nations takes us back to the beginning, to understand its original purpose, genesis and ultimate design. Only with this historical understanding - one that shines light on the central as well as the forgotten voices - can we begin to discuss how the United Nations might be reformed, to assess whether new forms of regional and international organisation are needed to address recurrent and new challenges, and to examine how such systems might be brought into existence.
Reviews / Votes
This richly detailed book demonstrates how the key international organization of the post-1945 order, the United Nations, emerged from the interplay of wartime planning and ideas of international order. * Dan Gorman, University of Waterloo, Canada * Andrew Ehrhardt's original, meticulous, and eclectic historical research is not just fodder for UN nerds but for all students of war, peace, and foreign policy. His subtitle, An International History, accurately reflects his probing of documents and analyses beyond the usual ones documenting the US, UK, and USSR efforts in Creating the United Nations. This is essential reading for anyone interested in thinking about and finding institutional solutions for the troubling times in which we live. Instead of the intellectual and political midgets who lead the governments of today's major powers, it is refreshing to revisit the thoughtful and strategic diplomacy of the giants who sought to raise a multilateral phoenix from the ashes of World War Two. We too need to mobilize the international spirit of publics worldwide who yearn for an organizational way to pursue a more just and peaceful world. * Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor Emeritus, The CUNY Graduate Center, USA *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-52156-8 (9781350521568)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Andrew Ehrhardt is Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Centre for Grand Strategy at King's College London, UK. He is the author of A Grand Strategy for Peace: Britain and the Creation of the United Nations and his articles have appeared in journals including Modern Intellectual History, Statecraft & Diplomacy, International Affairs, and the Texas National Security Review.
Content
Introduction: A Global History of the Creation of a Global Institution
1. The Development of Internationalism in the 19th and early 20th centuries
2. The Experience of the League of Nations in the 1920s and 1930s
3. Early Activism and Planning for a Post-war Organisation during WWII, 1937-40
4. The St James' Declaration, the Atlantic Charter, and the United Nations Declaration, 1941
5. Ongoing International Activism and Official Planning for a Post-war Organisation, 1941-44
6. Different Perspectives of the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, 1944-45
7. A Meeting of Great and Small: The San Francisco Conference, April-June 1945
8. Early Challenges of a Universal Organization, 1946 -1948
Conclusion: The Legacy of the United Nations and its Future in an Age of International Transition
1. The Development of Internationalism in the 19th and early 20th centuries
2. The Experience of the League of Nations in the 1920s and 1930s
3. Early Activism and Planning for a Post-war Organisation during WWII, 1937-40
4. The St James' Declaration, the Atlantic Charter, and the United Nations Declaration, 1941
5. Ongoing International Activism and Official Planning for a Post-war Organisation, 1941-44
6. Different Perspectives of the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, 1944-45
7. A Meeting of Great and Small: The San Francisco Conference, April-June 1945
8. Early Challenges of a Universal Organization, 1946 -1948
Conclusion: The Legacy of the United Nations and its Future in an Age of International Transition