During the first decades of its existence  holdings of personal documents to the IfZ Archives were limited to a few individual cases. In the late 1970s our personal papers collection began to grow. Since then, the category has expanded and includes many documents of figures of the Wehrmacht, participants of the military and civil resistance against the Nazi regime, as well as documents of people who were persecuted. As research began to focus more on everyday history, the IfZ Archives also broadened its acquisition strategy and has now, for several years, been taking on an increasing number of such documents e.g. a large number of army postal letters as well. The archives hold personal sources reflecting postwar social and political changes likewise. You will find personal papers of politicians, diplomats, journalists, historians, and other figures of contemporary history from the period beginning around 1918 to the present day.