ICSE Solutions for Class 10 History and Civics - The United Nations (Origin and Purpose)

ICSE Solutions for Class 10 History and Civics – The United Nations (Origin and Purpose)

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Very Short Questions

Question 1: Name the first international organisation, which was set-up with an objective to put an end to wars. When was such an organisation established?
Answer: United Nations, 24th October 1945.

Question 2: Name the Nations, which approved a declaration known as ‘London Declaration’.
Answer: Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Question 3: Who declared the “Atlantic Charter”?
Answer: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Theodore Roosevelt.

Question 4: When was the UN Charter signed? How many countries signed that ‘Charter’?
Answer: UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945. 50 countries signed that charter

Question 5: Name the document that brought the United Nations into being.
Answer: United Nations Charter.

Question 6: When is the UN day Celebrated?
Answer: On 24th October.

Question 7: Where the headquarter of United Nations located?
Answer: New York City (USA).

Question 8: Name the official language of the United Nations.
Answer: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese.

Question 9: When was the term ‘United Nations’ used for the first time?
Answer: 1st January 1942.

Question 10: Who appoints the Secretary General of the United Nations?
Answer: The Secretary General of the United Nations is appointed by the General Assembly on. the recommendation of the Security Council.

Question 11: What do you understand by the abbreviation UNO? When was it formed and where?
Answer: UNO stands for United Nations Organisation. It was formed on 24th October 1945 at San Francisco.

Question 12: Which organisation was the predecessor of the UNO?
Answer: The League of Nations set-up in the year 1920 after the First World War was the predecessor of the UNO.

Question 13: Who are the five permanent members of the UNO?
Answer: UK, USA, USSR, China and France are the five permanent members of the UNO.

Question 14: What is meant by the term ‘Veto Power’ which is enjoyed by the Permanent Members of UN?
Answer: It is a negative vote created by a permanent member of the Security Council.

Question 15: Name the official languages of UNO.
Answer: The UN charter provides six official languages—English, French, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic.

Question 16: Where is the UN Charter preserved?
Answer: According to Article 3 of the Charter ‘The charter shall remain deposited in the United States National Achieves.’

Question 17: Does the Charter provide for withdrawal of membership from the UNO?
Answer: No, the UN charter is silent on that point.

Question 18: Which languages are permitted to be used as official languages of International Court of Justice?
Answer: The official languages of the International Court of Justice are English and French.

Question 19: Where is the International Court of Justice situated?
Answer: The International Court of Justice is at Hague in Netherlands (Holland).

Question 20: When was the United Nations Flag adopted? What is it like?
Answer: The UN Flag was adopted on 20th October 1947. It has the UN emblem in white in the center on a light blue background.

Question 21: When did the United Nations officially came into existence?
Answer: 24th October 1945.

Short Questions – I

Question 1: Briefly point out the purpose of setting up the United Nations Organisation.
Answer: United Nations Organisation was formed with its purpose to maintain peace and security, develop friendly relations and achieve international cooperation. It was to be center for harmonizing the actions of nations for achievement of common ends.

Question 2: What is the eligibility criterion for UN membership?
Answer: The membership of United Nations Organisation is open to all peace loving Nations who believe in the principles of UN and accept obligations of the UN charter, as stated in Article 4 of the UN Charter.

Question 3: How can a member be admitted in the UN?
Answer: The membership is open to all peace loving States. A new State is admitted by a decision of the General Assembly by two third of majority upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

Question 4: What do you understand by the term ‘Original Members’? Was India an original member?
Answer: According to Article 3 of the charter, original members of the UN were those States which signed the Washington declaration of 1st January, 1942 and those who participated in the San Francisco Conference of 1945. Thus, the 51 members who took part in the San Francisco Conference are its original members, India was one of them.

Question 5: How many representatives can a country send to the U.N.O. and how many votes do they enjoy?
Answer: A country can send a maximum of 5 representatives, but each country enjoys a single vote. The ‘Big five’ i.e., USA, UK, Russia, China and France have the power of veto also.

Question 6: Mention any two main aims of the United Nations.
Or
State the most important reason for the formation of U.N.O.
Answer: (i) To maintain International Peace and Security.
(ii) To develop friendly relations among nations.

Question 7: Name the five major countries who signed the UN Charter.
Answer: The five major countries who ratified the UN Charter were China, France, USSR, Britain and the USA among a total of fifty nations.

Question 8: What factors led to the formation of the United Nations Organisation?
Answer: Devastation caused by the first and the second world war made it imperative to seek lasting peace. An international organisation to deal with world wide economic depression and imbalance, mutual distrust and arms race among nations, reconstruction after the war was the need of the hour. Thus the United Nations Organisation was formed in 1945.

Question 9: Who exercises the power of veto?
Answer: The ‘Big five’ i.e., the permanent members UK, USA, Russia, China and France have the right to exercise their power of ‘veto’ for any motion in the General Assembly.

Question 10: Name the leaders who brought about the Atlantic Charter. Where were the talks held?
Answer: The Atlantic Charter was brought about by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Roosevelt. The talks regarding the Charter were held on a battleship in North Atlantic and the Charter was signed on 14th August, 1941.

Question 11: What was the Washington Declaration? How many Nations signed it?
Answer: The representatives of 26 nations termed as ‘United Nations’ by US President Roosevelt, promulgated the Washington Declaration at few weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on 1st January, 1942. This was a pledge of the Allied Power to defeat the ‘Axis Powers’ i.e., Germany and’its allies. They agreed to co-operate in war and peace and also agreed, not to hold separate talks with enemy countries or conclude peace treaties with them.

Question 12: Which conference saw Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin actually meeting and for what purpose?
Answer: In a summit conference held between 28th November, 1943 to 2nd December 1943 at Tehran. Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met for the first time to confirm that large and small nations would be invited to join the world organisation.

Question 13: Where and when the first draft of United Nations Charter was drawn by whom?
Answer: In the Dumbarton Oaks Conference held during September-October, 1944 representatives of China, Great Britain, USSR and USA met to draw the first draft of United Nations Charter at Washington. Thus a blue print for the future world organisation was prepared, a major step towards the formation of U.N.O. was taken in this conference.

Question 14: When and with what purpose was the Yalta Conference held?
Answer: The Yalta Conference in the former Soviet Union was held between 4th February to 11th February, 1945 for the nature and structure of UNO by Churchill, Stalin arid Roosevelt. Decisions regarding veto power of the ‘Big Five’ in the UN Security Council were taken now. It also decided to convene a full scale United Nations Conference in San Francisco on 25th April, 1945 for the formulation of the Charter of the new organisation.

Question 15: What does the UN Charter consist of?
Answer: The UN Charter consists 19 Chapters and 111 Articles narrating the aims, proposals and principles of the United Nations and also the rules and regulations for achieving these aims.

Short Questions – II

Question 1: When and where was the London Declaration held? Which Nations participated in bringing it about and with what objective?
Answer: In June, 1941 while the Second World War was being fought in full swing the representatives of Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South America met in London at St. James’s Palace on 12th June, 1941. They approved for a declaration which resolved to create a world free from war and aggression, and for the purpose proposed for the first time formation of a world organisation more effective than the League of Nations. The Declaration came to be known as London Peclaration.

Question 2: What do you understand by Moscow Declaration? Name the countries who signed it.
Answer: UK, USA, Soviet Union and China signed the Moscow declaration. After a meeting held- at Moscow from 19th to 30th October, 1943. The Moscow Declaration was released on 1st November, 1943 stating ‘We recognise the necessity of establishing at the earliest practicable date. A central international organisation based on the principle of sovereign equality of all peace nature states, large and small. This was certainly a move to bring about maintenance of peace and security and laid down the foundation stone of the United Nations.

Question 3: What is the importance of the San Francisco Conference? When was it held?
Answer: The San Francisco conference was held during April-June 1945. It is important, as it was the first UN Conference opened on 20th April at San Francisco, attended by 50 nations, it drew the final draft of the UN Charter which was unanimously adopted and signed on 26th June, 1945. The Charter was finally ratified by the Parliaments of China, France, USSR, Britain, USA and majority of the 51 original members on 24th October, 1945 marking the foundation of United Nations Organisation.

Question 4: Write short notes on:
(i) The Washington Declaration
(ii) Dumbarton Oaks Conference (iii) Yalta Conference
Answer: (i) On January 1,1942 the representatives of 26 states met at Washington. The signatories to this Declaration promised to continue war against the enemy collectively and not to make separately any settlement with the enemy.
(ii) It was the Conference where the blueprinter for U.N.O. was formulated. The blueprint contained draft of the U.N.O. Charter and the proposals as to how the United Nations were expected to work.
(iii) The conference held at Yalta in the former Soviet Union between 4th-llth February, 1945.
Main aims:
(1) The Yalta conference took the decision to set up a new organisation to replace the League of Nations.
(2) Yalta conference also took the decision how to deal with Germany and non-German territories which had been liberated from Germany

Question 5: Mention any three principles of UNO.
Answer: The organization associated with the emblem is the United Nations Organization. Its three principles are:
(i) It is based on the sovereign equality of all its Members.
(ii) The U.N.O will not intervene in the internal affairs of a country.
(iii) Member nations will not use the treat of violence in their international relations.

Question 6: How U.N.O. develop friend relations among nations.
Answer: The second function of the U.N.O. is ’to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights for all people and to take appropriate steps to strengthen universal peace. All are to be treated as equal and a spirit of brotherhood and oneness is to be invoked.

Question 7: Name the principal judicial organ of U. N. O. and explain its composition.
Answer: The principal judicial organ of the U.N.O. is the International court of justice. It consists of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and the security council voting separately. The judges work for a term of 9 years and may be re-elected. Its quorum is fixed at 9 and all decisions are taken by the majority vote of present judges. The chief justice is elected for 3 years and has got a casting vote. Only one judge is elected from a country. The headquarters of the ILO is The Hague.

Question 8: Discuss the role of U.N.O. in solving international problems.
Answer: The third function is to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of social, economical, cultural and humanitarian nature. This is an important function as it deals with the peace building aspect of U.N.O. The Social Economic Council of UNO works for attainment of international socio-economic co-operation, cultural interaction promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedom for all to make the world a better and just place to live.
The United Nations Organisation is to be a centre for harmonizing actions of nations and in attainment of these common needs. It is the focal point from where all activities aimed at maintaining and preserving peace are conducted.

Question 9: Who can become the member of U. N. O.?
Answer: The head quarters of this organization are located in New York City. Its European office is in Geneva.
It membership is open to all peace loving nations which agree with the objectives of the U.N. and are ready to abide by its principles. The admission, suspension and expulsion of members is decided by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the security council by a 2/3rd Majority of Votes. Almost all countries of the world are its Members now.

Question 10: On what grounds, can a member be suspended or expelled from the UNO?
Answer: A member of the United Nations, against whom enforcement action has been taken by the Security Council, can be suspended from exercising the rights and privileges of the United Nations by General Assembly on recommendation of the Security Council. This is provided in the Article 5 of the Charter.
According to Article 6 of the Charter a member persistently violating the principles of the Charter can be expelled from the United Nations by the General Assembly on recommendation of the Security Council.

Long Questions

Question 1: Name the important declarations and conferences which took place before the formation of the Untied Nations Organisation.
Answer: The following were the important declarations and conferences which brought about the formation of the United Nations Organisation finally:
(i) The London Declaration, 1941
(ii) The Atlantic Charter, 1941
(iii) The Declaration of the United Nations, 1942
(iv) The Moscow Conference, 1943
(v) The Tehran Conference November, 1943
(vi) The Dumbarton Oak Conference October, 1944
(vii) The Yalta Conference February, 1945 (viii) Committee of Jurists meeting April, 1945 (ix) The San Francisco Conference, 1945

Question 2: What did the Atlantic Charter (14-8-41) aim at?
Answer: The Atlantic Charter aimed at:
(i) Maintaining international peace and security.
(ii) Encouraging international co-operation and friendly relations in social, economic and cultural spheres.
(iii) Recognising the fundamental rights and equal status of all nations.
(iv) Upholding the Right to Equality, self determination and Right to make their own Constitution and Government.

Question 3: State briefly the terms of Atlantic Charter of dated 14-8-41.
Answer: The terms agreed upon by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill were:
(i) No territorial expansion and territorial changes against the wishes of the people.
(ii) Recognition of the right of each State to draft its Constitution and form Government.
(iii) Recognition of sovereignty and equality of all States big and small. They will have equal access to the trade and raw materials of the world.
(iv) Full economic co-operation.
(v) Restoration of peace, giving up of use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, without resorting to war.

Question 4: What factors made it imperative to form a worldwide organisation the United Nations Organisation in 1945?
Answer: (i) International peace: This is one of the most important purpose of establishing UNO. It should take effective measures for the removal of threats of the peace.
(ii) Friendly relations: Its second most important purpose is to develop friendly relations among nations, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self determination of people.
(iii) International cooperation: Its third most important purpose is to promote international cooperation in solving international problems on economic, social, cultural or humanitarian charter.
(iv) Social Equality: To promote international cooperation, respect for human rights and fundamental freedom for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

Question 5: Regarding the origin of the United Nation make a brief description of the following Declarations:
(i) The London Declaration (ii) The Atlantic Charter
Answer: (i) In 1941 the representatives of Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa met in London to establish an organisation to maintain international peace and security.
(ii) In 1941, the U.S. President D. Roosevelt and the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued a declaration known as the Atlantic Charter.
The main objectives of the Charter were:
(i) to respect each others sovereignty and territorial integrity.
(ii) to maintain international peace and security.
(iii) to encourage disarmament.
(iv) to promote economic, cultural and social cooperation.
(v) to recognise the fundamental rights and status of all people.

Question 6: Mention the Guiding principles of UNO.
Answer: (i) The UNO is based on the sovereign equality of all its members.
(ii) All members should settle their international disputes by peaceful means without putting in danger international peace and security.
(iii) All members should provide full cooperation to UNO in its working.
(iv) No country should assist states against which UNO is taking some action.
(v) The Organisation should ensure that the states which are not members of UNO should also act in accordance with these principles.
(vi) It should not intervene in the domestic affairs of any country.
(vii) All member are to fulfill in good faith the obligations as laid down in the Charter.

Question 7: Briefly state the aims and objectives of the United Nations Organisation.
Answer: The United Nations Organisation aimed at:
(i) Saving the succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
(ii) To re-affirm faith in Fundamental Human Rights, in the dignity and worth of human person, in the equal rights of men and women and nations large and small.
(iii) To establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of internationals law can be maintained.
(iv) To promote social progress and better standard of life in larger freedom.

Question 8: Name the main obligations laid down in the UN Charter for its members to observe?
Answer: The United Nations members are to follow certain principles, they are as under:
(i) Sovereign equality of all members.
(ii) All members have to fulfill their agreement as set forth by the Charter
(iii) Settlement of international disputes arising among the members to-be settled by peaceful means without resorting to war or aggression.
(iv) Abstaining from the threat or use of force against any State.
(v) Providing assistance to UN and to act in accordance with the principles of UN and UN decisions must be accepted in all respects.
(vi) Non interference by the UN in the internal affairs of any country.

Question 9: What do you know about the membership in the UNO and their obligations?
Answer: The membership of UNO is open to all peace loving Nations big or small. According to the Article 3 of UN Charter original members are those who signed the Washington Declaration of January 1942 or those who took part in the San Francisco Conference in 1945. Those members who joined the UNO later are known as new members. According to Article 4 of the UN Charter membership of United Nations is open to all peace loving nations which are able and willing to carry out obligations contained in UN Charter. These are:
(i) Sovereign equality of all member nations.
(ii) Fulfilment of all Charter obligations.
(iii) Settlement of international disputes by peaceful means.
(iv) Abstaining from the threat or use of force against any State.
(v) Providing assistance to UN.
(vi) Non-member also act in accordance with the principles of UN.
(vii) Non-intervention by the UN in the domestic jurisdiction of States.

Question 10: Discuss he role of UNO in maintain the international peace and security.
Answer: The United Nations Organisation undertook the gigantic three dimensional task of peace keeping, peace making and peace building in a world which had just been a victim of a devastating world war.
Thus, the primary function of the UNO is to maintain international peace and security. This includes collective effective measures for prevention and removal of threats to peace, and suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of peace. To bring about through peaceful means, adhering to principles of justice and international law adjustment and settlement of international disputes.
Thus the cause of action for UNO arises when there is threat to peace, or actual aggression causing breach of peace. The means for settling disputes are recommended to be peaceful but where suppression of aggression is required the Security Council is authorized to use military operations. For instance in Korea, Palestine and Congo and in the Gulf War the UN military forces played a decisive role.

Question 11: What measures were suggested for fulfilling the aims of the UNO?
Answer: To fulfill the aims and objectives of the United Nations organisation suggested:
(i) To practice tolerance and living together in peace with one another as good neigh-bourse.
(ii) To unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.
(iii) To ensure, by acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, except in common interest.
(iv) To employ international machinery for the promotion of economic and social advancement of all people.

Question 12: What were the underlying principles upheld by the aims of the United Nations Organisation as stated in the preamble of the UN Charter?
Answer: The ideals and principles embodied in the UN Charter are as under:
(i) Fundamental human rights.
(ii) Dignity and worth of human person.
(iii) Equal rights for men and women.
(iv) Equal rights of nations large and small.
(v) Respect for treaty obligation.
(vi) Promotion of social progress and better standard of life.
(vii) Unity for maintenance of international peace and security.

Picture Based Questions

Question 1: Answer the following:
ICSE Solutions for Class 10 History and Civics – The United Nations (Origin and Purpose) 1
(i) Where did the incident take place as depicted in the picture?
(ii) What was the historical importance of this incident?
Answer: (i) This incident took place on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii.
(ii) The historical importance of this incidence is that after this attack, the US declared war on Japan and the other Axis Powers (Germany and Italy).

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