HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL

ORGANIZATIONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suIKXQR9N2w

Economic Organizations (12 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPKf24_pXfQ
 LEAGUE OF NATIONS
• Supposed to preserve world peace after WWI

• 14th point of FOURTEEN POINTS

• Not everyone joined and not everyone stayed

• Was ineffective (did not stop Italy in Ethiopia,

Japan in China and Hitler’s continuing
aggressive stance in Europe)
 UNITED NATIONS (1945- present)
• Work at world peace, safety, economic
development worldwide, social advancement of
all peoples

• Security Council (5 permanent members), WHO,

General Assembly, UNICEF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cqw8-
ongtY 3 min history of UN
 Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGO’s and INGO’s)
• Often connected to human rights, hunger and
equality access to health care for all people

• Doctors Without Borders

• Amnesty International
• Green Peace
• Oxfam
 POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
• NATO

• WARSAW PACT

• EUROPEAN UNION (also economic)

 ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION
WHY?
•Since WWII, capitalist victors wanted to avoid
Depression-era conditions

•Wanted to create “rules” for commercial and

financial dealings among capitalist countries as
well as promote free trade, stable currency
(linked to US dollar) and capital investment
WTO – WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
• Not a trade block
• 153 Organizations
• Facilitates free trade, ends trade disputes

• BUT – very controversial…a force of

globalization; interests of global corporations;
have too much control
• Seattle WTO conferences = violence
 IMF – International Monetary Fund
• Rich countries contribute to this fund to stabilize world
economy – lends money to countries that need it

• Benefits: help countries who need help

• Controversy:
If countries cannot pay it back, IMF can come in and force
economic change to government (slash education, military,
etc…) – AUSTERITY MEASURES
• Sometimes lend to corrupt dictators who steal money and then
country is “on the hook”
• Starting to run out of money
 REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROUPS
• OPEC (Organization of Oil Exporting Countries)
• Very powerful – formed in 1960
• Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia)
• NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association)
• Canada, US, Mexico – free trade zone for products
• EU (European Union)
• Share currency, passport, free trade zone
 HOW CAN ORGANIZATIONS
EFFECT CHANGE?
• ECONOMIC SANCTIONS
– Embargoes, boycotts, freezing of assets,
restrictions on investments
– Can harm a country’s economy
– Really only wielded by rich nations
 See this video (from 5:00 – end)
• IMF, World Bank, WTO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XPKf24_pXf