The United Nations Organization

The Charter of the United Nations is the fundamental treaty of the intergovernmental, the United Nations. The Charter was signed in San Francisco on the 26^th of June 1945 by 50 member countries. (Poland, the other original member, which was not represented at the conference, signed it two months later.) Most countries in the world have now ratified the Charter. It lays out the purposes and principles of the United Nations organization. These principles include the equality and self-determination of nations, respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the obligation of member countries to obey the Charter, to cooperate with the UN Security Council and to use peaceful means to resolve conflicts.

All countries shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. All international treaties must be registered with the Security Council of the United Nations. Countries with disputes that could lead to war are required to seek solutions through peaceful methods such as negotiation, enquiry, mediation, arbitration and judicial settlement. Any country is allowed to bring a dispute to the attention of the UN Security Council or the General Assembly.

All countries have the right for collective self-defense against an armed attack. If an armed attack occurs, the Security Council should take measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. The Security Council is empowered to authorize economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions, as well as the use of military force, to resolve disputes.

The Charter of the United Nations supports international economic and social cooperation. With a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations, the United nations shall promote:

– higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development;

– solutions of international, economic, social, health and related problems; and international educational and cultural cooperation;

– universal respect for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.

Napoleonic Code

The Napoleonic Code is the French civil code established under Napoleon I in 1804. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs should go to the most qualified. The Code, with its stress on clearly written and accessible law, was a major step in replacing the previous feudal laws. It was one of the documents that influenced the whole world.

The Napoleonic Code was the first modern legal code to be adopted with a pan-European scope, and strongly influenced the law of many of the countries formed during and after the Napoleonic wars. The code was very influential on developing countries outside of Europe, especially in the Middle East, that were attempting to modernize their countries through legal reforms.

Napoleon set to reform the French legal system in accordance with the ideas of the French Revolution, because the old feudal and royal laws seemed confusing and contradictory to the people. Before the Code, France did not have a single set of laws.

During the Revolution, the last vestiges of feudalism were abolished. The numerous bodies of law used in different parts of France were to be replaced by a single legal code. Laws could be applied only if they had been duly promulgated, and then only if they had been published officially. No secret laws were authorized.

With regard to family, the Code established the supremacy of the man over the wife and children, which was the general legal situation in Europe at that time.

The development of the Napoleonic Code was a fundamental change in the nature of the civil system, making laws clearer and more accessible.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1194