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A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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  • Create Date：2021-08-19 09:55:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Mary Ann Glendon
  • ISBN：0375760466
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Summary

Unafraid to speak her mind and famously tenacious in her convictions， Eleanor Roosevelt was still mourning the death of FDR when she was asked by President Truman to lead a controversial commission， under the auspices of the newly formed United Nations， to forge the world’s first international bill of rights。

A World Made New is the dramatic and inspiring story of the remarkable group of men and women from around the world who participated in this historic achievement and gave us the founding document of the modern human rights movement。 Spurred on by the horrors of the Second World War and working against the clock in the brief window of hope between the armistice and the Cold War， they grappled together to articulate a new vision of the rights that every man and woman in every country around the world should share， regardless of their culture or religion。

A landmark work of narrative history based in part on diaries and letters to which Mary Ann Glendon， an award-winning professor of law at Harvard University， was given exclusive access， A World Made New is the first book devoted to this crucial turning point in Eleanor Roosevelt’s life， and in world history。


Finalist for the Robert F。 Kennedy Book Award

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Reviews

Steve Limkeman ，

An excellent treatment of the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights， complete with fascinating character biographies and a riveting revelation of the inherent tension between competing philosophical， political， cultural and religious frameworks that had to be navigated in order to produce this historic achievement！

Stefanie Robinson ，

In the Post World War II era， the United Nations were interested in coming up with a Universal Declaration of Human Rights to ensure that people all over the world were treated with basic dignity and rights to live and thrive。 This was an effort to prevent more atrocities like the Holocaust from being committed。 Eleanor Roosevelt was an intelligent， outspoken lady， who had an extreme interest in this endeavor。 She used all her diplomatic skills to get everyone in agreement on this and get someth In the Post World War II era， the United Nations were interested in coming up with a Universal Declaration of Human Rights to ensure that people all over the world were treated with basic dignity and rights to live and thrive。 This was an effort to prevent more atrocities like the Holocaust from being committed。 Eleanor Roosevelt was an intelligent， outspoken lady， who had an extreme interest in this endeavor。 She used all her diplomatic skills to get everyone in agreement on this and get something signed。 It was a very good read， and I learned a lot。 。。。more

Floris Meertens ，

Zowel erg informatief als entertainend。 Sommige dagboeknotities zijn gewoonweg geroddel en ik geniet ervan。 De vele Sovjet-afgezanten komen wel erg negatief uit dit verhaal， maar ik weet niet hoeveel dat aan framing ligt， en hoeveel gewoon feitelijk juist is。 De Amerikaanse regering onder Truman wordt ook niet echt als lieverdjes afgebeeld。Dit is een sterk betoog vóór de universele pretentie van de Universele Verklaring van de Rechten van de Mens， en mensen die zich haasten om het Westers imperi Zowel erg informatief als entertainend。 Sommige dagboeknotities zijn gewoonweg geroddel en ik geniet ervan。 De vele Sovjet-afgezanten komen wel erg negatief uit dit verhaal， maar ik weet niet hoeveel dat aan framing ligt， en hoeveel gewoon feitelijk juist is。 De Amerikaanse regering onder Truman wordt ook niet echt als lieverdjes afgebeeld。Dit is een sterk betoog vóór de universele pretentie van de Universele Verklaring van de Rechten van de Mens， en mensen die zich haasten om het Westers imperialisme te noemen， raad ik aan het te lezen。 Misschien blijf je bij je standpunt， maar het geeft waarschijnlijk nog steeds veel inzicht。 。。。more

Hannah ，

I looked this book because it had a lot of interesting facts about Eleanor Roosevelt。 I like how it talked about Eleanors background and how she go to the place she did。

Olof ，

Bra bok som sätter deklarationen om de mänskliga rättigheterna i lite perspektiv。- man insåg att man inte skulle kunna komma överens om vad som var grunden för rättigheterna och skyldigheterna så man beslöt sig för att endast koncentrera sig på det praktiska。- den är resultatet av kompromisser。- deklarationen ska läsas som en helhet。 Man kan inte rycka ut en artikel som passar för stunden。

Andrew Canfield ，

A World Made New is an informative book on what went on behind the scenes during the crafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 The wording of the Preamble and articles are hassled over by delegates from numerous nations， and A World Made New allows its readers to see every bit of maneuvering and chicanery along the way。 The book functions as a history of the birth of the United Nations， telling the tale of an organization founded to bring something good out of the Second World War's A World Made New is an informative book on what went on behind the scenes during the crafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 The wording of the Preamble and articles are hassled over by delegates from numerous nations， and A World Made New allows its readers to see every bit of maneuvering and chicanery along the way。 The book functions as a history of the birth of the United Nations， telling the tale of an organization founded to bring something good out of the Second World War's ashes。While Eleanor Roosevelt's name is （for good reason， as she was the initial chairman of the Human Rights Commission） in the title， the book essentially has five heroes whose actions are integral to the U。N。's founding: Eleanor Roosevelt， Charles Malik， Rene Cassin， P。C。 Chang， and John Humphrey。 Each of these individuals are fleshed out well by the author。 Elements of their personalities still come through well in the nonfiction format。 Lebanon's Charles Malik plays a major role in shepherding the Declaration through committees， trying to narrow the divide between Western nations and those in the Soviet bloc and developing world。 Author Mary Ann Glendon makes the young philosophy professor out to be an intellectual who bridges a lot of the gaps between differing viewpoints and has a devotion to the cause of human rights。 Malik is a Christian， and as such has torn feelings as the Middle East begins to experience major upheavals in the late 1940s。 The difficult circumstances surrounding the re-initiation of Israel into the family of nations， along with the increasing tensions between the U。S。 and Russia in the post World War Two years， makes the job of bridge-building delegates like Malik incredibly difficult。 He eventually rises to the HRC chairmanship after Roosevelt steps down。Rene Cassin of France comes out to the no less dedicated， but his lawyerly， argumentative side comes out on occasion during the process of putting together the U。N。's declaration。 He was ultimately responsible for much of the Universal Declaration's final wording。 The initial recording of the articles was done by John Humphrey， a brilliant Canadian also trained in the law。 He appears in A World Made New as a dedicated public servant with a lawyer's eye for making sure the early institutions established by the United Nations stood on as firm of a legal footing as possible。P。C。 Chang brought a different perspective to the Human Rights Committee's Declaration drafting。 Like those from the Soviet Union， the delegate from China attached a lot of importance to the economic/social portions of the draft。 This proved to be a big divide between the West and China as well as the Soviet satellite states: while the Western countries liked to talk up democracy， the latter liked to talk up the role of government in providing social security for all citizens。 Eleanor Roosevelt eventually allowed the inclusion of these types of rights in the final draft， but was careful to point out that the U。S。 did not think they implied "an obligation on governments to assure the enjoyment of these rights by direct governmental action。" America and a handful of other countries wanted to see aid to the sick， needy， and infirm handled more by private means。 Chang pushed what he called "two-mindedness，" by which he meant the delegates should attempt to see things from one another's perspective。 The book makes him out to be dedicated to finding a common ground between the more individualistic and collectivist outlooks。A division between the delegates is whether the United Nations should focus more on a declaration of principles or a binding framework of international law its outset。 The author seems to indicate that it was a better move to go with a statement of nonbinding principles first， as these often can shame nations into behaving better than claims of international statutes。 This is， in fact， exactly what the commission ends up doing。The book takes place against the backdrop of anticommunism on the part of the U。S。 and expansionism/assertiveness on the part of the Soviet Union。 Glendon does nice work on showing how these factors made the United States in general and Eleanor Roosevelt in particular reticent to commit one of the world's two superpowers to a U。N。 with strong enforcement mechanisms。 Concepts like a World Court， embraced by many European nations， would be controversial and remain so in the United States。 The challenges of forming a document that would satisfy diverse countries （religiously， racially， philosophically） are well-documented， and Glendon shows how the early U。N。 founders did their best to synthesize different ideas into a framework of undeniable truths of human nature which will always be worthy of protection。 The manner in which the U。S。 and U。S。S。R。 were both willing to pick and choose which human rights they would accuse the other of violating provided an early warning sign of the risk of having the term human rights being too poorly defined。 Issues such as these provided a sad undertone to A World Made New， demonstrating how creating a useful international organization to settle disagreements among countries would always remain a work in progress。This is an important book for the documentation it provides of the U。N。's birth pangs。 The insightful look at how much went into creating a Declaration that over fifty countries could sign off on underscores just how much effort would be required to make sure the United Nations remained relevant in a world of scores of different perspectives and beliefs。-Andrew Canfield Denver， Colorado 。。。more

Jacqueline ，

This is a book that enlarged my understanding of the world I live in。 It is a history of the way in which the Declaration of Human Rights came into existence and what it means now and may mean in the future to the people of the world。

Maureen ，

I’ve read lots about Eleanor’s youth as well as her married years and time as First Lady。 This book taught me more about her crowning glory， the Eleanor without Franklin， when she chaired the committee that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 The document is coming up on age 70 this year， and still has great moral stature in its challenge to “the long-standing view that a sovereign state’s treatment of its own citizens was that nation’s business and no p e else’s。” （79）。 Eleanor had I’ve read lots about Eleanor’s youth as well as her married years and time as First Lady。 This book taught me more about her crowning glory， the Eleanor without Franklin， when she chaired the committee that wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 The document is coming up on age 70 this year， and still has great moral stature in its challenge to “the long-standing view that a sovereign state’s treatment of its own citizens was that nation’s business and no p e else’s。” （79）。 Eleanor had long been the conscience of her country; now she moved onto the world stage with her dignity and kindness and moral persuasion。 I liked getting to know the key players: PC Chang who brought Confucian and Taoist perspective; Charles Malik of Lebanon who parlayed small nation status to great accomplishment as chair of the review committee; the ultimate diplomat Pierre Cassin who went on to win the Peace Prize; and Canadian John Humphrey who gives bureaucrats a good name， having led the writing of the first draft and then stayed with the UN for 20 years of establishment。 The hard part of reading this book is its slow pace and meticulous detail。 The best part is gaining an understanding of the interplay of economic， social， and legal systems， and the way that one document could be general enough to embrace and respect all cultures。 。。。more

Catherine Knight ，

This served as a text book for my Human Rights class this semester， and while I found the writing to be incredibly dry， when it could have， in my opinion， been far more interesting， I learned quite a bit。 Before reading， I knew very little about the founding of the United Nations， and what it took for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to come into being。 Very well researched， packed with information， if you're interested in learning even more about Eleanor Roosevelt， this is a good start This served as a text book for my Human Rights class this semester， and while I found the writing to be incredibly dry， when it could have， in my opinion， been far more interesting， I learned quite a bit。 Before reading， I knew very little about the founding of the United Nations， and what it took for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to come into being。 Very well researched， packed with information， if you're interested in learning even more about Eleanor Roosevelt， this is a good start。 。。。more

Michael ，

I read this book a long time ago。 I was thinking of it today after watching a documentary that discussed human rights。 My one big takeaway from this book--and we are going back here to 2003 or 2004--was that a man named Raphael Lemkin survived the Holocaust then dedicated his life to creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 I keep meaning to learn more about this whole thing， but the UDHR is not something that plays a prominent role in American politics， so it's not like it's on my ra I read this book a long time ago。 I was thinking of it today after watching a documentary that discussed human rights。 My one big takeaway from this book--and we are going back here to 2003 or 2004--was that a man named Raphael Lemkin survived the Holocaust then dedicated his life to creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 I keep meaning to learn more about this whole thing， but the UDHR is not something that plays a prominent role in American politics， so it's not like it's on my radar frequently。 Still: I like the UDHR， and wish more people supported it。 Also， Eleanor Roosevelt was a total bad-ass。 。。。more

Bob H ，

The lioness in winter: this is a splendid account of Eleanor Roosevelt after FDR's death， when she was the guiding force on the UN committee that crafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 The Declaration is already a foundation to a body of international human-rights law， a foundation that has steadily grown in importance over the last half century。 The book does justice to it， and to her。The title is from her nightly prayer: "Our Father， who has set a restlessness in our hearts and mad The lioness in winter: this is a splendid account of Eleanor Roosevelt after FDR's death， when she was the guiding force on the UN committee that crafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 The Declaration is already a foundation to a body of international human-rights law， a foundation that has steadily grown in importance over the last half century。 The book does justice to it， and to her。The title is from her nightly prayer: "Our Father， who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find， forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life。 。。。 Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of a world made new。" 。。。more

Joseph Stieb ，

Review Pending。 Let's just say that Eleanor is one of my heroes。 Review Pending。 Let's just say that Eleanor is one of my heroes。 。。。more

prcardi ，

Composition: 2/5Evidence: 3/5Writing Style: 3/5Balance: 2/5

John Eliade ，

5 stars for the history。 3 for the analysis。

C。 ，

Despite the title， this book was not really about Eleanor Roosevelt。

Halldór Thorgeirsson ，

Very thoughtful account of a major joint undertaking with significant benefit to humankind。 Insights into the cast of characters involved and the unique contribution each made。 Enjoyed description of the working methods and the reflections on the value of non-binding international agreements。 Some of that is relevant to my work supporting negotiations of the Universal Paris Climate Agreement。 Great to get to know more about that great leader Eleanor Roosevelt。

Rachel ，

Just brilliant。

Schmidleysscribblins。wordpress。com ，

Very important piece that affirms the value and use of both the Declaration of Indpendence and UN Declaration of Human Rights。

Michelle ，

I feel as if I learned so much from this dense account of the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 I'm looking forward to learning more about Malik， Roosevelt， and the process of recognizing human rights in our world。 I feel as if I learned so much from this dense account of the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 I'm looking forward to learning more about Malik， Roosevelt， and the process of recognizing human rights in our world。 。。。more

Mikey B。 ，

A marvelous account of the formulation and development of the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’。It really had its gestation in 1941 during the Roosevelt – Churchill meeting at Placentia Bay， off Newfoundland， during the very dark days of World War II。 At that stage the spread of German Nazism seemed unstoppable。 The Atlantic Charter was made with ‘Roosevelt’s freedoms’ – freedom of speech， freedom of religion， freedom from want， and freedom from fear。One could say that the ‘Universal Decla A marvelous account of the formulation and development of the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’。It really had its gestation in 1941 during the Roosevelt – Churchill meeting at Placentia Bay， off Newfoundland， during the very dark days of World War II。 At that stage the spread of German Nazism seemed unstoppable。 The Atlantic Charter was made with ‘Roosevelt’s freedoms’ – freedom of speech， freedom of religion， freedom from want， and freedom from fear。One could say that the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ is composed of these four main pillars。The author gives us a history of the evolution of the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ providing us with its’ different draft forms。 She also gives us excellent and vivid portrayals of the main protagonists involved。 We can say they represent a wide range of humanity – Rene Cassin from France， Charles Malik from Lebanon， P。C。 Chang from China， John P。 Humphrey from Canada， Housa Meht from India and several others。Orchestrating and pushing through this agenda was Eleanor Roosevelt。 Her prestige， her boundless energy and her unique ability to encompass and empathize with humanity at large made her able to move this ‘Declaration’ to approval at the U。N。 General Assembly。 This was no small task。It is indeed Eleanor Roosevelt’s finest hour。 It gives her a lasting legacy that mankind should remember for all time。The author also gives a very readable description of the meaning of the Declaration – deciphering for us the battles to make it more readable and acceptable to all members of the various committees who participated in its’ writing。 It was passed by the U。N。 in 1948; only the Soviet bloc countries and Saudi Arabia abstained from voting。 It is not a binding or legal document， but it is a goal that all countries should strive for。 Countries today are judged by their adherence to it and many new countries add parts of it to their constitution。 Human rights groups， such as Amnesty International refer to it in their evaluations。The author acknowledges that it is not perfect， and it creators said as much。 However she argues persuasively that human rights are universal。 In a fine example near the end of the book a Chinese refugee points out to another delegate at a human rights convention – “If you were to voice dissent from the prevailing view in China， you would end up in a jail， and there you would soon be asking for your rights， without worrying about whether they were ‘American’ or ‘Chinese’ ”。 The ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ is for mankind。 As another dissident pointed out ‘rights are for everyone， not just westerners’。 。。。more

Tally ，

Eleanor Roosevelt was such an incredibly strong woman。 The story of the Declaration is fascinating， but I had a hard time with all of the information crammed into 350 pages！ Really makes you think about what goes into creating these documents， and how the simple meaning of a word like "dignity" can cause such drama！ Eleanor Roosevelt was such an incredibly strong woman。 The story of the Declaration is fascinating， but I had a hard time with all of the information crammed into 350 pages！ Really makes you think about what goes into creating these documents， and how the simple meaning of a word like "dignity" can cause such drama！ 。。。more

Debbie ，

Good detailed account of the debates within the commission that created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Jackson ，

This was a rather dry account of the attempt on the part of the UN to establish an internationally recognized statement regarding human rights。 This attempt seems futile to me （though I have not rejected it because I haven't spent a great deal of time studying it）。 This was a rather dry account of the attempt on the part of the UN to establish an internationally recognized statement regarding human rights。 This attempt seems futile to me （though I have not rejected it because I haven't spent a great deal of time studying it）。 。。。more

Letitia ，

A very interesting and easy read on the origin and mechanics of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 Opened my eyes to many things。 Glendon definitely approaches from the perspective of adoration for Roosevelt， and tries very hard to make the point that this is NOT a western document。 She also takes on the word "universal" and argues that the precepts found in UDHR really can be found in almost every culture。 Her argument is fairly good， if not 100% convincing。 Well-written， at the very le A very interesting and easy read on the origin and mechanics of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 Opened my eyes to many things。 Glendon definitely approaches from the perspective of adoration for Roosevelt， and tries very hard to make the point that this is NOT a western document。 She also takes on the word "universal" and argues that the precepts found in UDHR really can be found in almost every culture。 Her argument is fairly good， if not 100% convincing。 Well-written， at the very least。 。。。more

Shelley ，

Very clear and gripping story of the work to make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--and the key role Eleanor Roosevelt had in its making。 A pioneering， driven woman。 Eleanor， Presente！

Gerald ，

UDHR was a miracle。 It took excellent leadership in Mrs。 Roosevelt and some others to bring it to fruition。 Both eastern and western philosophy were considered by the drafters at the UN。 Those that did not vote for it （abstained/no one voted it down） did it for political reasons （Soviets did not want citizens leaving USSR/freedom of changing nationality/movement）。Dr。 Glendon did a good job in making the plot interesting。

Erin ，

I only got through a portion of this book for class， but what I did manage to read I enjoyed。 Eleanor sounded like she was a pretty kick-ass woman。 I'd have loved to learn more about her。 I only got through a portion of this book for class， but what I did manage to read I enjoyed。 Eleanor sounded like she was a pretty kick-ass woman。 I'd have loved to learn more about her。 。。。more

Anette ，

good book about eleanor roosevelt and her fight for the universal declaration of human rights。 read it。

Kara Martin ，

This book is a must read for those who want an understanding of the role Eleanor Roosevelt had in the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights。 She was a fascinating woman who possibly does not get the credit she deserves in shaping how the world views human rights。 It is an easy book to read and deals with an important subject。

Reference

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The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0