The United Nations under Trygve Lie, 1945-1953

This volume traces the events and personalities that led to the creation of the United Nations and analyzes the period spanning the tenure of its first secretary general, Trygve Lie. It is also, in part, a book about the Cold War. The author shows that the end of Great Power co-operation prevented the United Nations from taking an active role in promoting international co-operation, and that, instead, it became an arena for contesting confrontation between the Soviet Union and the West.