World War I, or the Great War, was a global war, centred in Europe, that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all of the world’s great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies the Central Powers. Ultimately, more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. The outcome of the war subsequently paved the way for various political changes, such as revolutions in many of the nations involved. We have created a Library special on World War I in order to provide you easy access to our collection.

The initiative of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia to organize an international peace conference at the dawn of the twentieth century came at exactly the right moment. During the First Hague Peace Conference of 1899, 26 countries came together to speak about disarmament and about the possibility of international jurisdiction, which led to the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. In 1907 a second peace conference was organized in The Hague, in which 44 countries participated. Find out more about the Tsar’s initiative and his relationship with the Peace Palace.