The Institute of Contemporary History (''Institut für Zeitgeschichte'') in Munich was conceived in 1947 under the name ''Deutsches Institut für Geschichte der nationalsozialistischen Zeit'' ("German Institute of the History of the National Socialist Era"). Founded by the German government and the State of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

at the suggestion of the Allied Forces, it was established in 1949 and renamed in 1952. Its purpose is the analysis of contemporary German history.

History

The institute is funded by the German government, and the German states of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, Brandenburg, Hesse,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

and Saxony. The first director of the institute was Hans Rothfels, the second director was Martin Broszat. Representatives of the supporting states are also members of the institute's board. Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg

Since 1953, the institute has been publishing the journal ' (''Contemporary History Quarterly''), which is regarded as one of the most important publications of German historical research. The institute has also published extensive editions of contemporary historical documents, such as ''The Foreign Policy Files of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland'' and '' Goebbels Diaries''. In 1994, the institute founded a branch in Potsdam, which has been based near the German Federal Archives since 1996. The focus of research at the Berlin branch of the institute is the history of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The branch ''Abteilung des IfZ im Auswärtigen Amt'' (IfZ Department in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

), founded in 1990 (first situated in Bonn; in Berlin, since 2000), publishes documents from the German Foreign Office. In 1999, the institute conceived the '' Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg'' museum on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden at the request of the Bavarian government. This exhibition documents the construction of the Obersalzberg into a showy residence for

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

leadership circles. Visitors can tour the bunker complex. Access to the bunkers was closed for construction in September 2017 and remained closed in July 2018 "until further notice".

References

Bibliography

* Hellmuth Auerbach, "Die Gründung des Instituts für Zeitgeschichte", ''Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte'' 18 (1970): 529–554. * John Gimbel, "The Origins of the "Institut fuer Zeitgeschichte." Scholarship, Politics and the American Occupation of Germany, 1945–1949," ''American Historical Review'' 70 (1965), 714-731. * Hermann Graml, Hans Woller, "Fuenfzig Jahre Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte 1953-2003," ''Vierteljahrshefte fuer Zeitgeschichte'' 51 (2003), pp. 51–87. * Horst Möller, Udo Wengst (Eds.): ''50 Jahre Institut für Zeitgeschichte. Eine Bilanz''. München 1999,

External links

*
Institut für Zeitgeschichte
' Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Institut Fur Zeitgeschichte 1949 establishments in West Germany History institutes History organisations based in Germany Research institutes in Munich Research institutes established in 1949

History

See also

References

Bibliography

External links