The Vietnam War, student protests and, above all else, the armament dynamics of the Cold War: three examples of internal and foreign policy upon which the first German peace research institutions were built. In 1968, sixteen researchers founded the “Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung“ (AFK), a working group on peace and conflict studies. The scientific approach to the topics of war and peace was intended to add more objectivity to the political debates and offer solid, practical solutions. In the following years, peace research gained momentum as an independent academic discipline, leading to the foundation of several  institutes, including the IFSH in 1971.The first director Wolf Graf von Baudissin led the institute until 1984, passing its leadership on to the renowned détente politician and former German federal minister Egon Bahr for a further ten years. Since 1994 several directors have headed the IFSH, Dieter S. Lutz (1994-2003), Reinhard Mutz (acting director 2003-2006), Michael Brzoska (2006-2016), as well as Wolfgang Zellner and Götz Neuneck (acting directors 2016-2017).

In October 2017, Ursula Schröder became the new director.