978-1-4222-3430-3

Chapter one

The Beginnings of the United Nations

As World War II raged in Europe and Asia, leaders of the Allied countries met often to talk about war strategies—and to figure out how to make sure a similar war never happened again. During these meetings, they decided to form an organization of nations, an organization that would work for peace and help the peoples of the world live better lives.The Allied leaders felt a large group of countries actively working to bring about peace and world development would be able to prevent future world wars and the spreading power of tyrannical dictators such as Adolf Hitler. Wo r d s t o U n d e r s ta n d decolonization : the act of granting a colony its independence. economic sanctions : coercive measures—such as refusing to import a nation’s products—adopted to force a nation violating international law to stop its actions. tyrannical : characterized by oppressive power. unanimous : relating to a situation in which all members agree. wielded : used something, especially power or authority.

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Chapter One