International Commission of Military History CongressesInternational Commission of Military History

The International Commission of Military History was established in 1938, when it organized a panel of its own at the International Committee of Historical Sciences’ Congress in Zürich. From then on, the ICMH has participated in the quinquennial CISH Congresses.

In 1969, in preparation for the upcoming CISH Congress in Moscow in 1970, the ICMH organized its first “intermediate colloquy”, in Paris. This was followed by another “colloquy” in 1973, in Stockholm.

These meetings, increasingly called “congresses” from 1983 on, soon developed into annual conferences. Their organization has since become one of the main features of the ICMH’s activity. Hundreds of scholars from around the globe convene to compare and discuss their research, thereby helping mutual understanding across national and political boundaries. These congresses are organized by the respective national host commission.

Upcoming ICMH Congress

The forthcoming jubilee of the 50th ICMH World Congress will take place in Senegal in 2025.

Last ICMH Congress

2024 - 49 ICMH Congress Lisbon, Portugal
The Role of the Military in Political Transitions: from the 18th century to the present day

Previous ICMH congresses

2023 - 48 ICMH Congress Istanbul, Turkey
War and The City: The Effects of Armed Conflicts on Urban Space and Population

2022 - 47 ICMH Congress Wroclaw-Opole, Poland
The Defense of Borders in Military History, from the Middle Ages to the Present Day

2021 - 46 ICMH Congress Athens, Greece
Independence Wars since the XVIII Century

2019 - 45 ICMH Congress Sofia, Bulgaria
Unsettled problems after the 1919 Peace Conference: military conflicts and diplomatic negotiations

2018 - 44 ICMH Congress Jerusalem, Israel
The Creation of New States and Collapse of Old Empires in the XXth Century

2017 - 43 ICMH Congress Douala, Cameroon
World Wars and Colonies in History

2016 - 42 ICMH Congress Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Regional Wars - Global Impacts

2015 - 41 ICMH Congress Beijing, China
World War Two and the Development of Warfare in the 20th Century

2014 - 40 ICMH Congress Varna, Bulgaria
World War One, 1914 - 2014

2013 - 39 ICMH Congress Torino, Italia
Combined and Joint Operations in the History of Warfare

2012 - 38 ICMH Congress Sofia, Bulgaria
Technology and Warfare

2011 - 37 ICMH Congress Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Colonial Wars and Independence Wars from the 18th Century to Today

2010 - 36 ICMH Congress Amsterdam, Netherlands
Insurrection and Counterinsurgency: Irregular Warfare from 1800 to the Present

2009 - 35 ICMH Congress Porto, Portugal
Warfare in the Age of Napoleon: Precedents, Military Campaigns and Lasting Impacts

2008 - 34 ICMH Congress Trieste, Italia
Military Conflicts and Civil Populations.Total Wars, Limited Wars, Asymetrical Wars

2007 - 33 ICMH Congress Cape Town, South Africa
Regions, Regional Organisations and Military Power

2006 - 32 ICMH Congress Potsdam, Deutschland
Nation State, Nationalism and the Military

2005 - 31 ICMH Congress Madrid, Espana
Terrestial and Naval Power and the Age of Trafalgar

2004 - 30 ICMH Congress Rabat, Maroc
The Economic Aspects of Defense through the Major World Conflicts

2003 - 29 ICMH Congress Bucarest, Romania
War, Military and Media from Gutenberg to Today

2002 - 28 ICMH Congress Norfolk, USA
Coming to the Americas: The Eurasian Military Impact On the Development of the Western Hemisphere

2001 - 27 ICMH Congress Athen, Greece
Military History and 20th Century Geopolitics

2000 - 26 ICMH Congress Stockholm, Sweden
The Total War – The Total Defence

1999 - 25 ICMH Congress Bruxelles, Belgique
Military Alliances since 1945
(In 1999, a second meeting of the CIHM was held in Tel Aviv, Israel, but this is not counted in the series of CIHM congresses)

1998 - 24 ICMH Congress Lisboa, Portugal
The War and the Encounter of Civilisations, from the XVIth Century

1997 - 23 ICMH Congress Praha, Czech Republic
The Thirty Years’ War

1996 - 22 ICMH Congress Wien, Austria
Von Crécy bis Mohács : Kriegswesen im späten Mittelalter (Warfare in the Late Middle Ages) (1346-1526)

1995 - 21 ICMH Congress Québec, Canada
Peacekeeping 1815 to Today

1994 - 20 ICMH Congress Warsawa, Poland
National Insurrections since 1794

1993 - 19 ICMH Congress Istanbul, Turkey
The Study of the Period between the First and Second World War 1918-1939 from a Viewpoint of Military History

1992 - 18 ICMH Congress Torino, Italia
The Discovery of the New World and its Influence on Military History

1991 - 17 ICMH Congress Zürich, Schweiz
War and Mountains

1990 - 16 ICMH Congress Madrid, Espana
Influence of Military Thought on War during the Last Five Centuries

1989 - 15 ICMH Congress Paris, France
Influence of the French Revolution on the Armies in France, Europe and the World

1988 - 14 ICMH Congress Montréal, Canada
Conflicts of High and Low Intensity Warfare Since the Second World War

1988 - 13 ICMH Congress Helsinki, Finland
Tactical Developments in 1750-1830 & Intelligence Service and Military Decisions in Europe during the Second World War

1987 - 12 ICMH Congress Athen, Greece
The First National Fleets: The Use of Steam In Naval Warfare

1986 - 11 ICMH Congress Seoul, South Korea
War, Commerce and Empire

1985 - 10 ICMH Congress Stuttgart, Deutschland
New Research on First World War History

1984 - 9 ICMH Congress Tel Aviv, Israel
Warfare throughout the Ages between Small States and Big Powers

1983 - 8 ICMH Congress Wien, Austria
Europe and the Ottomans – Conflicts in the Years between 1500-1800

1982 - 7 ICMH Congress Washington, D.C., USA
Soldier-Statesmen of the Age of the Enlightenment

1981 - 6 ICMH Congress Montpéllier, France
Armed Forces and Systems of Alliances

1980 - 5 ICMH Congress Bucarest, Romania
Army and Society

1978 - 4 ICMH Congress Ottawa, Canada
Armed Forces and Colonial Development

1976 - 3 ICMH Congress Teheran, Iran
Asian, American and European Influences on Strategy and Tactics & War and Neutrality

1975 - 2 ICMH Congress Washington, D.C., USA
Developments in Military Technology & Revolutions in America

1973 - 1. ICMH Colloquy Stockholm, Sweden
Coastal Defence

(In fact, this was the second 'intermediate colloquy', but the first one resulting in an Acta volume.
Consequently, the numbering of the Acta volumes was adopted for counting the CIHM colloquies or congresses)

First intermediate Colloquy, 26 IV 1969, Paris, France (no Acta volume)