The Yearbook of the Institute of History "George Bariţiu" of the Romanian Academy in Cluj-Napoca is the successor of the "Yearbook of the National History Institute of Cluj", which has been published since 1921, the oldest history periodical of Romania. It was the publication of the first history institute in the country, which was established in 1920 as a result of the Great Union of 1918. From a chronological perspective the evolution of the "Yearbook" may be divided into four main stages:
- 1921-1945
- 1946-1957
- 1958-1989
- 1990-2021.
Within more than 90 years of existence the "Yearbook" of the History Institute of Cluj is the first Romanian periodical in Transylvania, designed to meet the needs for dissemination of research results of the newly established Institute of National History in 1920. It appeared in the atmosphere of optimism and cultural effervescence after the 1918 Union. Like the Institute, this publication will be the periodical through which scientific results of Institute members were finalized. Also, the publication was ment to be a source of scientific consecration for young historians, a desire expressed by the founders themseves. According to the vision of Professor Ioan Lupaş, the first director of the Institute of History within "The Dacia Superioara University", the goal was that "the young people who will prepare and work here can bring forth by original and meritorious research studies their own contribution to the progress of national historiography". Since its inception, the publication was circulated annually and this schedule was respected as much as possible due to thorough chief editors: academics Ioan Lupaş, Alexandru Lapedatu, Constantin Daicoviciu, Ştefan Pascu, and its content was often published in international languages and always accompanied by abstracts in foreign languages.