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The development of ideas on the phylogeny of the aculeate Hymenoptera, especially Vespoidea and Chrysidoidea, since Brothers's 1975 and Carpenter's 1986 studies is reviewed. The results of their detailed analyses of aculeate higher taxa are re-evaluated in the light of new information and/or reinterpretations by subsequent workers. Almost all of their earlier results, including the relationships within the Chrysidoidea, the holophyly of Vespoidea (including Pompilidae), the sister-group relationship of Scoliidae (including Proscoliinae) and Vespidae, that of Sapygidae and Mutillidae (including Myrmosinae), and the composition of Bradynobaenidae are confirmed. The final preferred cladogram, using 219 variables and based on ground plans for all families of Chrysidoidea and Vespoidea and three taxa of Apoidea, indicates the following relationships (components of the superfamilies included within curly brackets):{Plumariidae+(Scolebythidae+«Bethylidae+ Chrysididae)+(Sclerogibbidae+(Dryinidae+ Embolemidae»)))}+({Heterogynaidae+(Sphecidae sl+ Apidae sl)}+{Sierolomorphidae+(Tiphiidae+(Pompilidae+(Sapygidae+ Mutillidae»)+(Rhopalosomatidae+(Bradynobaenidae+(Formicidae+(Scoliidae+ Vespidae»»)}).