Q. How did the international monetary system influence macroeconomic policy-making and performance during the post-World War II years during which exchange rates were fixed under the Bretton Woods agreement (1946 - 1973)?
Answer: In July 1944 legislature of 44 countries met in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, and signed the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and drafted and of the World Bank. The agreement predictable fixed exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and a consistent dollar price of gold - $35 an ounce. The dollar of the United States turns into the postwar world's key currency because of a few factors:
1. The untimely convertibility of the U.S. dollar in 1945.
2. The extraordinary position of the dollar under the Bretton Woods system.
3. The strength of the American economy comparative to the devastated economies of Europe and Japan.
4. Central banks obviously found it advantageous to hold their international reserves in the form of interest-bearing dollar assets.
The Marshall Plan an agenda of dollar grants from the United States to European countries was initiated in 1948. The majority countries in Europe didn't restore convertibility until the end of 1958 with Japan following in 1964.