ABSTRACT
Although the UN has evolved significantly since its creation, many elements remain unchanged since its creation in 1945 at the end of World War II. Its roots, however, can be traced to sixteenth-century European ideas about international law and organization, a series of developments in the nineteenth century, and the League of Nations established after World War I. In 1815, the European states established the Concert of Europe. Under the Concert system, the leaders of the major European powers came together in multilateral meetings to settle problems and coordinate actions. Meeting more than 30 times between 1815 and 1878, the major powers legitimized the independence of new European states such as Belgium and Greece. At the last meeting in Berlin in 1878, they extended the reach of European imperialism by dividing up the previously uncolonized parts of Africa. These Concert meetings solidified some important practices that persist in the UN today, including multilateral consultation, collective diplomacy, and special status for great “powers” in the Security Council.
