It was launched in 1950 by the historian Georg Stadtmüller and was originally published by Verlag Karl Alber.

[2] Subtitled "Jahrbuch für Universalgeschichte", the journal is devoted to world history and mainly focuses on social, economic, and cultural aspects.

An editorial published in 2013 states that it is "open to ... contributions ranging from pre- and protohistory to the present" and "to all historical topics including natural environments" and that it seeks to overcome a eurocentric perspective by publishing articles on all world regions and by encouraging comparison and the observation of transcultural entanglements.

[4] According to a mission statement included in the journal's blurb, it also offers a "forum for fundamental debates" in history and cultural studies.

Its general editors are the German historians Peter Burschel and Christoph Marx.