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.

The British newspaper The Guardian calls the referendum on June 23 the ‘biggest political decision of the century’. British voters should answer the question: ‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?’ We have created a Library Special on this topic in order to provide you easy access to our collection: a selective bibliography, newsitems, books, articles and online resources.