United Nations (UN) 1945 to 1965 Quiz

Answer: 50

50 nations were present at the summit in California and signed the Charter. The 50 nations, including the five members of the Security Council: China, the U.S., France, the U.K. and Soviet Union, later Russia and a wide variety of countries from all continents, such as Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Lebanon, Liberia, New Zealand, Peru, Turkey, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

Answer: Norway

Norwegian lawyer and politician Trygve Lie (1896-1968) was the UN first Secretary-General. He held the post for seven years, from 1946 to 1953, and famously described it as "the most difficult job in the world". Although he resigned in 1952, Trygve Lie continued in office until Dag Hammarskjöld took office in April 1953.

During his tenure, he secured the UN headquarters working with John D. Rockefeller Jr. to purchase land in Manhattan and donate it to the UN. He established rules of procedure that allowed the Secretary-General to intervene in Security Council discussions. He supported the foundation of Israel, worked for a ceasefire in Kashmir in the conflict between India and Pakistan. He helped to secure the evacuation of Soviet troops from northern Iran.

Answer: UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)

The UNTSO is the UN's oldest peacekeeping mission established in 1948 to monitor ceasefires and supervise armistice agreements in the Middle East. UNTSO military observers patrolled and monitored ceasefires and military activity in Golan Heights and Lebanon, to preserve peace between Israel and its neighbors Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

Answer: Korean War

The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first international unified command in history, and the first attempt at collective security pursuant to the Charter of the UN.

The UNC was established on July 7, 1950, following the attack of North Korea on South Korea. The motion was passed as North Korean ally, the Soviet Union, boycotted the UN as it recognized the Republic of China over the People's Republic of China. The UNC was comprised of 21 nations, led by the U.S. North Korea was supported by Soviet Union and China. The war ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953.

Answer: Austria

Austria joined the UN on December 14, 1955, as its 70th member state. Austria applied for membership in July 1947, but had to wait until after the State Treaty was signed. On May 15, 1955, the Four Powers signed the Austrian State Treaty in Vienna, which ended the four-power occupation and declared Austria to be a free, independent, and neutral state.

In the same year, another 15 nations joined the UN: Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. The total membership increased from 60 to 76.

Answer: Africa

In 1960, Cyprus and 16 African nations joined the UN after gaining independence, increasing the total membership to more than 100 nations. The 16 African nations are: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Togo and Burkina Faso.

In 1961, Mauritania, Sierra Leone and Tanzania became the new member states. The first four African countries to join the UN were founding members, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, and South Africa.

Answer: Congo

Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served his term from April 1953 until his death in September 1961. He has long been the youngest person to hold the post.

During his tenure, he strengthened the newly formed UN both internally and externally, improved morale and organisational efficiency to make the UN more responsive to global issues. The first UN peacekeeping forces in Egypt (the UNEF) and the Congo (the OGNUC) were formed to defuse or resolve diplomatic crises. He was killed in a plane crash on his way to negotiate the cease-fire during the Congo crisis.

Answer: Myanmar

Dag Hammerskjold was posthumously awarded the 1961 Nobel Peace Prize after he was killed in a plane crash. He was succeeded by U Thant (1909-194), who was a Myanmar educator and civil servant. Thant served two terms from 1961 to 1971.

Answer: Cuba

In less than one year in office, Thant faced a critical challenge to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis, the moment when the world came closest to a nuclear war over a 13-day period in October 1962. Thant resolved the situation by making several important proposals directly to John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev.

He also travelled to Cuba to mollify Fidel Castro and confirmed that missile deconstruction had started. He aided in the post-agreement negotiations to resolve verification issues.

Answer: 15

The five permanent member states are: China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. The new amendment for ten non-permanent states were established with a pattern for geographic representation, with five members from Africa and Asia, one from Eastern Europe, two from Latin America, and two from Western Europe and other States.