The Netherlands is known all over the world for its International Court of Justice, which is located in the Peace Palace in The Hague. Almost a hundred years ago, on August 28, 1913, this special building opened its doors. The story behind the dream of many pacifists, citizens and world leaders about peace on earth.
The 19 e century marked a revolution in the way of waging war. Before that, war was seen as a necessary evil to settle disputes between kings or other noblemen. Mediation between the fighting parties, for example by the Pope, already existed, but was only used after the outbreak of fighting and never as a preventive measure.
The image of war was before the 19 e century quite positive. For example, the noble men who fought under the supreme command of the king liked to do so. They only became real heroes when they distinguished themselves on the battlefield.
The fact that the farmers who saw their crops plundered were less happy about war was of secondary importance. In general, wars were celebrated in word and image, with the exception of a single realist. Examples of this are Erasmus (“the war is attractive to those who have not experienced it”) or Francisco Goya. The latter painted the horrors of war during the Spanish war against Napoleon, rather than the then-popular paintings of uniformed generals on prancing horses.
Sounds for world peace will be in the 19 e century increasingly popular. Machine weapons and other military developments are rapidly renewing and causing massive slaughter on the battlefield. The Napoleonic Wars had almost killed an entire generation of men.
Over the course of the century, all kinds of military inventions appear on the scene, often quite brutal. Bullets that burst into the body or grenades that have to be thrown from hot air balloons, causing many innocent civilian casualties. In addition, all this modern weaponry costs a lot of money, especially because new inventions keep appearing. In 1898, the German Reich spends more than half of its National Income to keep its army and navy up-to-date.
Call for peace
In 1898, Tsar Nicholas II calls for an end to the alarming process of excessive armament. It stands in the way of the development of the economy, population and peace. The other great empires of the time, such as Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain and the United States, initially reacted sceptically. The Tsar is not known for his humanity and has the largest army himself. Could it be a trick? But they too see the urgency of the problem and hesitantly agree. At the insistence of Nicholas II, the first Peace Conference is organized in The Hague, because of the neutral position of the Netherlands in international politics and the close family ties of the Russian Tsar with the Oranges.
Although most contemporaries doubt the plan, the 10-week conference of 1899 turns out to be a success. The 100 delegates present from countries around the world discuss the reduction of armaments and the maintenance of world peace. The most notable result is the agreement to establish a Permanent Court of Arbitration, which will mediate between countries with imminent conflicts. For example, future wars must be prevented and not settled afterwards. In 1900, the Court is installed and its task begins in a mansion in The Hague. However, this accommodation soon turns out to be too small.
The design of the Peace Palace
The court of arbitration needs a new and suitable accommodation and the idea of a real Peace Palace is born. But who is going to pay for that? In any case, the Dutch government will not, although it will donate a piece of land to build the palace.
Self-made millionaire Andrew Carnegie is approached. This philanthropic American had gotten rich in the steel industry in the years before and was able to sell his businesses for much more money. He now uses his wealth to improve the world and the situation of the people.
At first he doesn't like the idea of a Peace Palace, but luckily he could be convinced. The idea of housing a large library in the field of International Law in the building really appealed to him.
Carnegie is making the huge amount of 1.5 million dollars available at the time. In September 1903, the Preparation Committee is installed and it organizes an architectural competition for the best design of the Peace Palace. Out of 216 entries, the Baroque design by Louis Cordonnier wins. However, this design does not fit within the budget and is simplified to the building that can still be seen today.
The building was festively opened on August 29, 1913 in the presence of many monarchs, soldiers, diplomats and other high ladies and gentlemen. Most people in those days like the idea but are quite skeptical about the role that the Peace Palace will be able to play. Since the first Peace Conference in 1899, several wars have broken out that the Court of Arbitration has not been able to prevent. In addition, the Second Peace Conference in 1907 had achieved few high-profile results, which was quite disappointing after the hopeful first edition.
Unfortunately, less than a year later, the skeptics were proved right:on July 18, 1914, the First World War broke out. This would be the most terrible war that ever happened because of the massive death toll and the sheer number of countries involved. And with it many innocent civilians.
Although the International Court of Arbitration was unable to prevent the two world wars, it was able to mediate in other conflicts. In addition, the Court and the International Court of Justice (since 1922) have fundamentally changed world politics. Arbitration was voluntary until the First World War, but after that horror the far-reaching idea of submitting a dispute between states to international courts was carried forward. Since then, states have been prosecuted if they do not comply with the law and the legal agreements made.