Discussions about Russian History > Imperial Russian History

The Legacy of Nicholas II

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anna:
This peace conference was held on Palace Huis den Bosch in The Hague in 1899. The conference was requested by Nicholas II, to discuss rules to limit warfare and attempt arms limitations. 26 countries attended. On this occasion Nicholas presented an album to Queen Wilhelmina. The second meeting was in 1907 called by Theodore Roosevelt, 44 countries attended.

These conferences were the best way to handle international problems. World War I prevented the next meeting.
Were these meetings successful? I couldn't find anything Nicholas mentioning this in letters or diary. Not even an note of his journey to Holland. Did he attend the second meeting?
As these conferences were so important to solve international problems, why couldn't they prevent War?

Anna

anna:
Hi Harald,

Thanks for answering my questions. An article about  the "Kurhaus/Scheveningen" in saturdays newspaper ..Algemeen Dagblad.. said Nicholas actually stayed there during Peace conference. So it must have been the Russian Delegation staying at the hotel.

Though it's a pity he never visited Holland, speaking of  famlily relations between the two countries. Maybe we were not important enough on political view, being neutral and too petite.

Anna

kaatje:
Though I can't be certain of this without actually looking this up, the reason the peace conferences could'nt do anything to stop WW1, is because:

1. The conferenc was set up to resolve disagreements between 2 countries, who were prepared to follow such rules that were given to them

2. No country could be forced to attend and cooperate, and the outcome was not legally binding, it was so to speak a gentleman's agreement.

3. Solving wars dos not seem to be part of it's agenda, most often it is minor disputes and it doesn't seem to have helped with any subsequent wars either

This though is what I gathered when I visited the place last year, and got a guided tour.

Katie

anna:
Kaatje,

Yes unfortunately they couldn't prevent war, but this was the forthcoming result:quote from an article on the web:

The conferences were very important : they gave an
important impetus to the development of the humanitarian right, established the permanent court of arbitration and gave the beginning to the establishment of the people association, the permanent Court of Justice (arbitration) and the continuators of it: the United Nations and the international Court of Justice.

Anna

kaatje:
Anna,

Yes I agree with you, without the Peace palace many seemingly small, petty arguments between countries may have progressed further along the road to war.

Katie

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