Sélectionner une page

The problem of war reparation proved to be one of the most difficult to deal with in post-war conditions. The Soviet Union, the country most devastated by the war, felt eligible for the largest possible amounts, with the exception of Bulgaria, considered the friendliest of the former enemy states. (Bulgaria was part of the axis, but did not declared war on the Soviet Union). In Romania and Hungary, the reparation conditions set out in their weapons were relatively high and were not revised. The Charter of the United Nations was created as a way to save « future generations from the scourge of war. » This is the result of the inability of the League of Nations to resolve the conflicts that led to the Second World War. Now, as early as 1941, the Allies have made a proposal that has created a new international body for peacekeeping in the post-war world. The idea of the United Nations began to be articulated in August 1941, when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter, which proposed a set of principles of international cooperation for the maintenance of peace and security. This term was first used officially on January 1, 1942, when representatives of 26 allied nations met in Washington D.C and signed the United Nations Declaration, which endorsed the Atlantic Charter and presented the United Allied War Objectives.

The United Nations Conference on the International Organization, convened in San Francisco on 25 April 1945, met with 50 represented nations. Three months later, when Germany visited, the final Charter of the United Nations was unanimously adopted by delegates. It was signed on June 26; The Charter, which included a preamble and 19 chapters, divided into 111 articles, called on the United Nations to maintain international peace and security, promote social progress and improve living standards, strengthen international law and promote the extension of human rights. The main organs of the United Nations, as defined in the Charter, were: the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice and the Guardianship Council. Despite many disagreements, Allied leaders managed to reach some agreements in Potsdam. Negotiators thus confirmed the status of Germany demilitarized and disarmed among the four zones of the Allied occupation. According to the protocol of the conference, there should be « complete disarmament and demilitarization of Germany »; all aspects of German industry that could be used for military purposes should be removed; all German military and paramilitary forces should be eliminated; and the manufacture of all military equipment in Germany was prohibited. In addition, German society should be redeveloped by the repeal of all discriminatory laws of the Nazi era and by the arrest and trial of Germans considered « war criminals » on the democratic model. The German education and judicial system should be purged of all authoritarian influence and democratic political parties would be encouraged to participate in the management of Germany at the local and national levels.