The Institute of World History (IWH) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is a comprehensive research institution that conducts research on the history of countries and regions in the world out of China, and is the academic center of world history in China. It was formerly the World History Research Group established in 1959at the Institute of History, Division of Philosophy and Social Sciences, CASS. In 1962, the Research Group was expanded into the Department of World History. On this basis, the IWH was formally established in May, 1964 with the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. When the CASS was founded in l977, IWH became one of its institutes.