Half a century of fusion research towards ITER

A review is given on plasma physics and controlled thermonuclear fusion research since the late 1950s and up to the present day. Special emphasis is given to various proposed magnetic plasma confinement systems, as well as to the research aiming at the planned International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. The latter is based on the tokamak field geometry of a strong toroidal magnetic field, combined with an inductively imposed toroidal plasma current. Experimental and theoretical research has been conducted on the fundamental problems of confinement, equilibrium, stability, plasma transport and plasma heating. During this development two milestones have been passed on the way to ITER, namely the removed threat by Bohm diffusion at the end of the 1960s, and the discovery of the High Mode at the beginning of the 1980s. Finally, some future perspectives are shortly given on this line of research.