Wilson Center, 2017.
History and Public Policy Program
The History and Public Policy Program makes public the primary source record of 20th and 21st century international history from repositories around the world, facilitates scholarship based on those records, and uses these materials to provide context for classroom, public, and policy debates on global affairs.
Our Blogs
Recent Historical Research & Analysis
See our newest content first.
Subscribe for updates about the History Program's events, articles, videos, and more.
History Publications
Research, analysis, and primary sources on the history of the Cold War, North Korea, and nuclear proliferation
Explore our publicationsExplore more from the History and Public Policy Program
Cold War Archives Research (CWAR) Institute
The CWAR Institute uses innovative and collaborative approaches to train next generation Cold War historians in archival research methodologies.
Chinese Foreign Policy Database
The Chinese Foreign Policy Database enhances the ability of contemporary observers and historians to gain broader perspectives on Chinese policies. Curating 1000s of documents from Chinese and international archives, it offers insights into China’s foreign policy since 1949 and its relationship to ideology, revolution, the economy, and traditional Chinese culture.
Woodrow Wilson - Then and Now
Consistent with its mission as a national memorial to the 28th U.S. president, the Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program is launching “Woodrow Wilson - Then and Now," a new series of scholarly conversations exploring the significant and complicated legacies of the man and his presidency for our own day. Moderated by Trygve Throntveit, Global Fellow for History and Public Policy, the series will be a platform for an inclusive and critical discussion of Wilson’s biography, his White House tenure and his longterm impact on US foreign and domestic politics.
Post-Cold War International History
New research, publications, and events on the international history of the post-1990 era.
Explore the work of projects and initiatives associated with the History and Public Policy Program
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.
Learn More
North Korea International Documentation Project
The North Korea International Documentation Project serves as an informational clearinghouse on North Korea for the scholarly and policymaking communities, disseminating documents on the DPRK from its former communist allies that provide valuable insight into the actions and nature of the North Korean state. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.
Learn More
Nuclear Proliferation International History Project
The Nuclear Proliferation International History Project is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews, and other empirical sources. At the Wilson Center, it is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program.
Learn MoreHistory Podcasts
Podcasts from the History and Public Policy Program
International History Declassified, with Pieter Biersteker and Kian Byrne, focuses on interviews with historians to gain insight into their research, their sources, and their experiences.
Sport in the Cold War is hosted by Vince Hunt, and features insightful discussions with expert historians exploring the Cold War-era of superpower politics and intense international competition.