How the post-WWII order was formed and why China wants to reshape it

Today’s world has been shaped by a series of major agreements and the key developments that followed them towards and after the end of World War II.

A number of international institutes and global governing mechanisms are credited with helping to prevent another world war and bring about trade globalisation over the past 80 years.

In recent years, however, the West and China have both claimed that the other side has undermined the post-war world order.

The following is a look at the major historical events, principles and trends to have shaped the world since World War II and how they are being challenged today.

The United Nations and collective security

The United Nations was founded in 1945 to replace the ineffective League of Nations.

Towards the end of World War II, the outright victors – the United States, the former Soviet Union and the United Kingdom – met on several occasions to discuss arrangements to avoid another world war.