The formation of international law of war before the Fırst World War

Until the second half of the 19th century, debates on the limitation of war were discussed under the doctrine of just war, which was not binding. The doctrine emphasised when resort to force could be justified and how a just war could be waged. By the second half of the 19th century, the increase in armament constituted the motivation for the international law of war, and states started to take steps on these issues. Although war could not be banned, it was aimed to reduce its destructiveness. This formation took its first step with the Paris Declaration of 1856. Subsequently, the Lieber Law of 1863, the Geneva Convention of 1864, the Petersburg Declaration of 1868, the Brussels Conference of 1874, the Hague Conference I of 1899, and the Hague Conference II of 1907 came one after the other, forming the modern international law of war before World War I.