Bretton Woods Conference

Examples of Bretton Woods Conference in the following topics:

• Globalization and the U.S.

  • After the Second World War, work by politicians led to the Bretton Woods Conference from July 1-22, 1944.
  • Formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, the conference was a gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after the conclusion of World War II.
  • Out of the conference came an agreement by major governments to lay down the framework for international monetary policy, commerce, and finance, as well as the founding of several international institutions intended to facilitate economic growth by lowering trade barriers.

• The Nixon Shock

  • On August 5, 1971, Congress released a report recommending devaluation of the dollar in an effort to protect the dollar against "foreign price-gougers. " Meanwhile, European countries began leaving the Bretton Woods international financial system, which had based the value of foreign currencies on the value of the gold-backed dollar.
  • In May 1971, inflation-wary West Germany was the first member country to unilaterally leave the Bretton Woods system — unwilling to devalue the Deutsche Mark in order to prop up the dollar.
  • On August 9, 1971, as the dollar dropped in value against European currencies, Switzerland unilaterally withdrew the Swiss franc from the Bretton Woods system.

• Nixon and the Economy

  • Meanwhile, European countries began leaving the Bretton Woods international financial system, which had based the value of foreign currencies on the value of the gold-backed dollar.
  • These policies essentially ended the Bretton Woods system of international financial exchange, which had been in place since the end of World War II.

• The Role of Religion in the Civil Rights Movement

  • The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization that  was central to the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Shortly after Martin Luther King's death, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference used this poster—issued in an edition of one hundred—for a fundraising drive.
  • After the artist's friend Stefan Martin made a wood engraving based on the drawing, Shahn authorized its use in support of various causes.

• Colonial Society

  • While the private sector financed the companies, the King provided each project with a charter or grant conferring economic rights and political and judicial authority.
  • These shipyards were aided by cheap wood sold by merchants who exploited the vast amounts of timber along the coasts and rivers of northern New England.