Two international conferences held at The Hague, Netherlands. The first was initiated by Czar Nicholas II of Russia to discuss arms limitations for the first time in history at an international assembly. It was held on May 18- July 29, 1899, and was attended by representatives from twenty-six countries. It revised codes of warfare and established the Permanent Court of Arbitration to preside over arbitration of issues between nations. The second, attended by forty-four governments, was proposed by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904, initiated by the czar in 1907, and held on June 15- October 18, 1907. It dealt with issues similar to the first and focused on principals and laws of war at sea and on land. The United States secured an international arbitration agreement. Neither conference successfully established arms limitations.
After 1919 and until the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, the League of Nations fulfilled many of the conference's roles in international issues.See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
