On April 16, 1945, just days after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s passing, President Harry S. Truman addressed the nation, calling for Americans to honor Roosevelt’s legacy by pursuing a total victory over the Axis powers in World War II.
In his speech before Congress, Truman emphasized that defeating Germany and Japan was only part of the task at hand. He urged Americans to lead in building a better world, one that could shield itself from destructive wars and mass atrocities.
Truman declared that the nation must confront the challenges of peace with the same tenacity it had shown during wartime.
Following this address, the United Nations Conference was set to begin in San Francisco, with the goal of establishing an international organization to replace the discredited League of Nations.
Truman acknowledged the complexity of creating this new body, warning that without a reliable organization, global peace would remain elusive. He asserted that to protect human rights effectively, an organized framework for settling international disputes was essential.
The League of Nations, formed after World War I, aimed to prevent future conflicts but ultimately failed to accomplish its objectives, contributing to the onset of World War II. Despite being established with the noble intent of fostering peace and cooperation among nations, it was severely undermined by several critical factors.
One major flaw was the absence of support from the world’s leading powers. Although US President Woodrow Wilson was a staunch advocate for the League, seeking to transform his vision of a peaceful world into reality, the US Senate rejected membership
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This rejection stemmed from a growing isolationist sentiment following the horrific losses of World War I, which left many Americans unwilling to engage further in global affairs.
Similarly, the Soviet Union did not join the League until the 1930s, further limiting its influence. Moreover, the League lacked the means to enforce its resolutions, unable to impose consequences on member states, a situation that historian Zara Steiner described as a fundamental weakness embedded in its structure.
During the 1930s, the League’s incapacity to mitigate the aggressive actions of Italy, Germany, and Japan—who would later abandon the League—enforced its ineffectiveness in maintaining international peace.
As World War II progressed, discussions intensified regarding the necessity for a new international organization. In late 1943, during the Tehran Conference, the leaders of the anti-Axis alliance, including Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, coined the term “United Nations” to designate their cooperation against the Axis powers.
The commitment of these nations extended beyond military victory; they expressed an obligation to forge a lasting peace. Roosevelt’s private discussions with Stalin sparked the idea of creating several international organizations to address the League’s shortcomings.
Among these, Roosevelt proposed the concept of
image source from：nationalww2museum
