International Institute of Social History

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The International Institute of Social History (Dutch: Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, abbreviation: IISG) is a historical research institute in Amsterdam. It was founded in 1935 by Nicolaas Posthumus. The IISG is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

It was founded as a new location for documents relating to the history of social movements, in particular the labour movement, after the Nazi takeover of Germany rendered that country an unsuitable place for their safekeeping; Moscow was not considered a trustworthy alternative, owing in large part to the Soviet Union's model of "socialist competition".

The institute is one of the world's largest documentary- and research-centres for social history. Items in its custody include those relating to Karl Kautsky, Augustin Souchy, Georg von Vollmar, Friedrich Adler, Max Nettlau, Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman, Leo Trotsky (six continuous metres' worth of material), Wolfgang Abendroth and Wolfgang Harich, as well as the archives of Russia's Socialist-Revolutionary Party (1834-1934). Items belonging to anarchist and Trotskyist fighters in the Spanish Civil War are also numerous. Furthermore, the archive of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (214 metres' worth of material) is also located at the IISG.

[edit] Publications

The IISG currently publishes, among others, the journals International Review of Social History (in co-operation with Cambridge University Press), Social'naja istorija. Ezhegodnik, Tijdschrift voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis and Jaarboek voor Vrouwengeschiedenis.