‘Explosive Missals’: International Law,Technology,and Security in Nineteenth-Century Disarmament Conferences

Abstract

This article challenges traditional interpretations of the 1868 Declaration of St Petersburg banning explosive bullets and the 1899 Hague Declaration forbidding expanding bullets as humanitarian agreements. A review of the legal terms of these arms control agreements and diplomatic correspondence provides evidence that Britain sought to harness advanced technology to overcome manpower deficiencies in imperial and European warfare. In 1868 Britain wanted to avoid restrictions on the employment of advanced technology in imperial wars, while at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899 a similar rationale was advanced to mask a desire to use advanced technology in European wars.