History of the International Institute of Social History

The International Institute of Social History (IISH) was officially established on 25 November 1935, but its history goes back to the 1920s.

In 1914, Nicolaas W. Posthumus (1880-1960), one of the pioneers of modern economic history in the Netherlands, set up the Netherlands Economic History Archive (NEHA), the first in a series of scholarly institutions that he initiated. The NEHA concentrated on the preservation of archives of companies and related organisations, and on the collection of other sources relevant to economic history. Since Posthumus was a collector with a broad vision, he included materials from individuals and organizations in Dutch labour movement.

Why is the manuscript of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital, the chef d’oeuvre of one of the most widely known Germans ever, located in Amsterdam?  

  • You will find the answer appears in text Working for Labour. Three quarters of a century of collecting at the IISH.

That text is taken from the exhibition catalogue Rebels with a Cause (by Jaap Kloosterman and Jan Lucassen, 2010).

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IISH History | Portrait Nicolaas W. Posthumus | Photo by IISH

Nicolaas Wilhelmus Posthumus

Nicolaas Wilhelmus Posthumus (1880-1960) founded the International Institute of Social History. He played a significant role in the development of the IISH.

N.W. Posthumus
PortraIISH History | Portrait Anna Catharina Adama van Scheltema-Kleefstra | Photo by IISH

Annie Adama van Scheltema

Annie Adama van Scheltema-Kleefstra was the first librarian of the IISH in the period before World War II. She zealously collected socialist literature and archives in the Netherlands and abroad.

Annie Adama
IISH History | Nehemia de Lieme | Photo by IISH

Nehemia de Lieme

Posthumus appealed to De Lieme's strong historical interest with a view toward salvaging the library of the Jewish Bund. De Lieme contributed the funding needed. His donation marked the start of their collaboration, which culminated in the establishment of the IISH in 1935. 

Nehemia de Lieme
IISH History | Max Nettlau | Photo by IISH

Max Nettlau

The name of the International Institute of Social History (1935) was very nearly the Max Nettlau Institute, named after the first and greatest historian of the anarchist movement. But Max Nettlau himself detested such honored accolades. 

Max Nettlau

Rebels with a cause

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The exhibition Rebels with a cause shows highlights of 75 years collecting by the IISH.

Rebels With a Cause

Bibliography

Bibliography of the IISH in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Century (updated version September 6 2017). The publications listed in this bibliography on the history and activities of the IISH are as diverse as the activities and holdings in the Institute. The titles presented in here (not counting periodicals, series and video's) come from a wide range of sources.

To Bibliography (pdf)