Archive
International Institute of Social History
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
International Institute of Social History is an archive in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
About International Institute of Social History
Overview & Identity
The International Institute of Social History (IISH/IISG) is one of the world's largest archives dedicated to labor and social history. Located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, it functions as an independent scientific institute and is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The institute specializes in international labor history, social movements, and emancipatory struggles, holding over one million volumes, 5,445 archival collections, and 30,000 linear feet of manuscripts. It serves as a premier global repository for materials related to radical leftist thought, including the foremost collection of anarchist documents worldwide.
History & Founding
Founded on November 25, 1935, by the socialist economist Nicolaas Posthumus, the institute was established to examine the development of labor relations over time. Posthumus, who served as its first director until 1952, was instrumental in acquiring early collections, including the Marx-Engels archive and the Max Nettlau collection. The institute faced severe threats during World War II; while Posthumus evacuated valuable archives to London before the German invasion in 1940, the Nazis looted remaining materials via the Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce between 1942 and 1944. These were stored in Germany for a planned Nazi school but were largely recovered in Hannover in 1946, with some parts returned from Moscow in 1991.
Building & Architecture
In 1989, the International Institute of Social History relocated to new premises in the eastern part of Amsterdam. The institute occupies a former warehouse located at the Cruquiusweg. This building also previously housed the Press Museum until 2017, when that institution merged with the Dutch Institute for Image and Sound. The facility currently houses the institute's extensive physical collections, which span more than 50 kilometers of shelving, and includes a reading room for researchers. The move to this industrial-style warehouse provided the necessary space to accommodate the rapidly growing archives and research departments.
Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings
The IISH holds a vast array of institutional and personal papers, including the archives of Amnesty International, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), the European Trade Union Confederation, and Greenpeace International. Notable personal collections include the papers of Emma Goldman, Karl Marx, Lev Trotsky, Karl Kautsky, and Sylvia Pankhurst. The institute is particularly renowned for its anarchist holdings, featuring the Max Nettlau collection and manuscripts of Mikhail Bakunin. Additionally, the archive houses the personal papers of Ernest Mandel and materials from the Russian Socialist Revolutionary Party, making it a critical resource for studying the history of the international labor and anarchist movements.
Significance & Research
The IISH is recognized as a leading data center on socio-economic history, offering thousands of datasets on demography, wages, life courses, and inequality. Its research program is organized into four clusters: Global Labour Relations, Commodities, Environment and Labour, Social and Economic Inequality, and Individual and Collective Action. The institute collaborates with research institutes worldwide to advance global labor history. Beyond its archival role, it hosts the IHLIA LGBT Heritage collection and organizes major academic events such as the European Social Science History Conference (ESSHC). The institute's ability to recover and preserve materials looted during the war underscores its resilience and enduring importance to historical scholarship.
Plan your visit
International Institute of Social History
- Website
- iisg.amsterdam
What's on
- Symposium: archieven in het licht van FaroFrom 10 Jun 2026