It is committed to the academic exploration and analysis of Serbian and Yugoslav history in the 20th and 21st century.

In July 1954 the institute transformed into the Historical Archive of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Serbia.

Recognizing the broader scope of historical research beyond the Communist Party's history, the Institute for the Collection and Processing of Documents on the Development of the Workers' Movement in Serbia was established on January 1, 1959.

Following her removal from active politics alongside the Serbian liberals in 1972, Latinka Perović completed her PhD and spent a period of considerable public isolation while she was "assigned" to work at the institute.

In 2010 the institute signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.