Bretton Woods Conference
July 1944 · 20th Century
Delegates from 44 Allied nations convened at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, from July 1 to 22, 1944. Led by Harry Dexter White of the United States and John Maynard Keynes of Britain, the conference established the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The agreements pegged member currencies to the U.S. dollar, which was fixed to gold at $35 per ounce, creating the postwar international monetary system.
Key Figures
Harry Dexter WhiteJohn Maynard KeynesHenry Morgenthau Jr.
Locations
Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods
Topics
international monetary policycurrency exchangepostwar reconstructionInternational Monetary FundWorld Bankgold standard
Connected Events — 3 Connections
The Bretton Woods institutions became the economic counterpart to the United Nations political framework established a year later United Nations Founded
The financial instability of the Great Depression motivated the creation of international monetary institutions at Bretton Woods The Great Depression Begins
World War II's economic disruption drove Allied nations to plan a stable postwar financial order Germany Invades Poland
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