Peace
Peace
Peace is an occurrence of harmony characterized by lack of violence, conflict
behaviors and the freedom from fear of violence. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility and retribution, peace also suggests sincere attempts at reconciliation, the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the establishment of equality, and a working political order that serves the true interests of all.
Organizations
United
Nations
The United Nations
(UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate
cooperation in international law, international security, economic development,
social progress, human rights, and achieving world peace. The UN was founded in
1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between
countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue.
The UN, after
approval by the Security Council, sends peacekeepers to regions where armed
conflict has recently ceased or paused to enforce the terms of peace agreements
and to discourage combatants from resuming hostilities. Since the UN does not
maintain its own military, peacekeeping forces are voluntarily provided by
member states of the UN. The forces, also called the "Blue Helmets",
who enforce UN accords are awarded United Nations Medals, which are considered
international decorations instead of military decorations. The peacekeeping
force as a whole received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.
League of
Nations
The principal
forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations. It was created at
the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, and emerged from the advocacy of Woodrow
Wilson and other idealists during World War I. The Covenant of the League of
Nations was included in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and the League was
based in Geneva until its dissolution as a result of World War II and
replacement by the United Nations. The high hopes widely held for the League in
the 1920s, for example amongst members of the League of Nations Union, gave way
to widespread disillusion in the 1930s as the League struggled to respond to
challenges from Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan.
One of the most
important scholars of the League of Nations was Sir Alfred Zimmern. Like many
of the other British enthusiasts for the League, such as Gilbert Murray and
Florence Stawell - the so-called "Greece and peace" set - he came to
this from the study of the classics.
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