2.  Following Yalta, 50 countries met together at the United Nations in 1945  United Nations Charter- signed on June 26, 1945 by 50 countries  The UN officially came into existence on October 24, 1945,

3.  United Nations consists of two main bodies: the General Assembly and the Security Council.  The Security Council is primarily responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.

4.  The Security Council was crippled by the veto, which by the end of 1955 had been used 78 times, 75 of them by the Soviet Union.  Severe financial pressures have also served to restrict UN action. A number of countries, including the USSR, have refused to pay for UN actions, such as the Congo operation  Finally, the major powers have tended to deal with each other outside the framework of the UN.

5.  Since the early 1970s, the UN expanded its development of less developed countries. The UN and its related agencies have had a significant impact in disease control, aid to refugees, and technological cooperation

7.  http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/timeline _of_united_nations_actio.htm http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/timeline _of_united_nations_actio.htm  http://library.thinkquest.org/22059/coalition s/> http://library.thinkquest.org/22059/coalition s/  http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A08 61704.html> http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A08 61704.html  http://www.cfr.org/publication/10886/timeli ne.html#1 http://www.cfr.org/publication/10886/timeli ne.html#1