Today is our final full day in the Netherlands, and we toured The Hague. The Hague is similar to Washington D.C. in the US, as it is where all the governing takes place. We learned about how the Netherlands turned from a monarchy to having a constitutional monarchy. The Monarchs were doing a poor job of ruling, and after Belgium split off of the Netherlands, people decided that they were done. In order to preserve some power, the Monarch at the time, William II, gave up most of his authority. Today, the Royal family serves as ambassadors of the country, but lack any real power.

Another important part of The Hague is that the International Court of Justice is located there. If you commit a crime that involves multiple countries, you will be tried in The Hague. The Nazis after World War 2 were tried at the peace palace, as were many others. The building itself was largely funded by Andrew Carnegie, who we know very well here in Pittsburgh. He was very philanthropic with his money, although he did not seem to think that paying his workers a fare wage with fair working conditions was the most important thing. The Homestead strike in Pittsburgh was a brutal conflict between workers and employers, with the Pinkerton killing multiple innocent workers. However, people in the Netherlands view him much more fondly. They had multiple plaques around the area dedicated to him. This is an interesting distinction.