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Author Topic: The Soviet Union and the United Nations  (Read 1717 times)

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Offline jone

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The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« on: April 15, 2019, 07:54:59 PM »
I watched a YouTube video tonight presented by the noted Cambridge historian David Reynolds.   The title of the documentary was ‘The Wheel Chair President’.   Of course, it highlighted the years FDR was in office.
 
It did not strike any particularly new ground, but I was taken by a couple of not totally insignificant facts that I was unaware of.   

The most important had to do with the formation of the United Nations.   FDR was an avid supporter of the UN and couched many of his interactions with Joseph Stalin to advocate for Soviet Union participation following the war.   
While it was determined that the first meeting would be held in San Francisco after a limited interlude following the war, it seems the Soviets only wished to send a junior diplomat to the formation meetings.   But Reynolds makes the opinion that Roosevelt had always curried favor with Stalin for the express purpose of securing Soviet participation in the UN.   

Then Roosevelt died shortly before the anticipated first meetings.   Stalin met with Harriman and was thunderstruck that Roosevelt was dead.   Accordingly, he granted (Foreign Minister) Molotov permission to go to Washington and meet Truman, as the new President for the US, and to follow on to San Francisco.
   
Reynolds draws the conclusion that Roosevelt did in death something that he probably couldn’t have accomplished had he lived.  He opined that the Soviet Union joined the United Nations directly because Roosevelt died and Stalin felt gratuitous for Roosevelt’s support during the war and in conversations between the big three, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin.

If you have a free hour, it is worth the watch.


« Last Edit: April 15, 2019, 07:56:50 PM by jone »
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Offline Gator

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2019, 05:06:08 AM »
If you have a free hour, it is worth the watch.

Thanks for the suggestion.


Quote
Reynolds draws the conclusion that Roosevelt did in death something that he probably couldn’t have accomplished had he lived.  He opined that the Soviet Union joined the United Nations directly because Roosevelt died and Stalin felt gratuitous for Roosevelt’s support during the war and in conversations between the big three, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. 

Interesting.  Something I did not know.  To paraphrase LBJ about J. Edgar, it was better having the Soviet Union inside the tent pissing out rather than outside pissing in. 

IMO the UN never achieved its full potential, yet in its 70+ years of history, we have avoided major wars.  The Soviet Union's participation on the Security Council surely helped.  UN successes came on different fronts: fighting hunger, eradicating small pox, protecting ozone, etc.   

BTW, I worked for two years for the UN.  The job was an excellent life experience, yet two years were enough.  The pace frustrated me.   Overall objectives were frequently thought of in number of generations, not number of years.   

Offline SANDRO43

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2019, 07:11:58 AM »
Stalin felt gratuitous
Grateful ;)?
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Offline jone

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2019, 08:52:20 AM »
Grateful ;)?

Every man's a critic.   Ima luki to get the wirds out.   :D
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Offline jone

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2019, 08:58:49 AM »
Thanks for the suggestion.


Interesting.  Something I did not know.  To paraphrase LBJ about J. Edgar, it was better having the Soviet Union inside the tent pissing out rather than outside pissing in. 

IMO the UN never achieved its full potential, yet in its 70+ years of history, we have avoided major wars.  The Soviet Union's participation on the Security Council surely helped.  UN successes came on different fronts: fighting hunger, eradicating small pox, protecting ozone, etc.   

BTW, I worked for two years for the UN.  The job was an excellent life experience, yet two years were enough.  The pace frustrated me.   Overall objectives were frequently thought of in number of generations, not number of years.

Gator, as in most cases, your insight is spot on.   I don't think that the UN could ever reach the potential that was hoped for.  Its existence is warranted by the very nature of its construction:  a forum for dialogue on international affairs with a security council that can opine on conflict.   While the UN has no teeth to enforce, simply because of the way it is constructed, it can be a buffer for stopping smaller conflicts.   And it is a world stage for each side to have a say in larger ones.
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline ML

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2019, 09:32:59 AM »
IMO the UN never achieved its full potential, yet in its 70+ years of history, we have avoided major wars. 

Weren't Korea and Vietnam pretty major, and Afghanistan our longest ???

Wars don't need declarations to actually be wars.
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Offline msmob

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2019, 10:27:02 AM »
Weren't Korea and Vietnam pretty major, and Afghanistan our longest ???

Wars don't need declarations to actually be wars.

Ah, someone else, noticed..




Offline Gator

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Re: The Soviet Union and the United Nations
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2019, 03:09:04 PM »
Weren't Korea and Vietnam pretty major, and Afghanistan our longest ???



The world has not avoided war in the 70+ years after the UN was created.  Wiki lists 60 different wars around the world that commenced after WWII and resulted in a  death toll exceeding 25,000.  Of these 60 wars,  Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan yielded large death tolls but not the largest. 

WAR            DEATH TOLL
                                             (million)
Korean War                                 1.2
Algerian War                              0.4-1.5
Vietnam War                              0.8-3.8
Nigerian Civil War                      1.0-3.0
Bangladesh Liberation                 3.0
Ethiopian Civil War                      0.5-1.5
Afghanistan                              1.2-2.0
Iran-Iraq War                              0.3-1.1
Sudan Civil War                            1.0-2.0
Great War of Africa                       2.5-5.4
Iraq                                             0.2-1.1
 

Death tolls obtained from WIKI  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll

Measured by deaths, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan are moderate wars compared to WWII (that prompted creation of the UN) and WWI (that prompted the creation of League of Nations, the UN predecessor). 

WW II     56-85 million deaths 
WW I     8.5-65

The UN was involved directly as a police action in the Korean Wa.  21 countries contributed forces to the UN (the US accounted for 90% of the total UN forces).  This war could have led to direct conflict between the Soviets and the West.  Yet, it did not happen.  In addition, the UN has been involved in 72 peacekeeping missions, with mixed but mostly positive results.   


 

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