Russia And The Hague Conference Of 1899

On 18 May 1899 a conference was held in The Hague,known as the Hague Peace Conference,which was initiated by Russia in order to resolve the country’s financial difficulties.The idea of a peace conference was refined by Kuropatkin,Muravyov and Witte and approved by Nicholas II.The peace initiative provoked mixed reactions from governments and public opinion at home and abroad.In contrast to public opinion and the expectations of the smaller countries,the governments of the larger countries took a more cautious approach,being deeply sceptical of Russia’s intentions in issuing the peace initiative,most notably Germany.During the formation of the peace conference programme,government departments such as the Foreign Ministry,the Finance Ministry,the War Ministry,the Navy Ministry and Russian experts in international law,Friedrich Martens,expressed their opinions and eventually the content of the peace conference programme took shape.The objective of the Hague Peace Conference was to limit armaments and ensure peace.However,the conference achieved nothing in terms of arms limitation,and the idea of disarmament was strongly opposed by Germany from the very beginning of the conference,and Russia turned its goal to arbitration and mediation.Eventually,on 29 July 1899,the Conference concluded three conventions and three declarations on the limitation of hostilities.With regard to the results achieved by the Hague Conference,although the idea of disarmament did not materialise,there is no denying the place in history of its role.It was the first international conference on peace and a milestone in world history.