The
Bretton Woods Agreements of
1944 and
1945 established the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (or
World Bank) and the
International Monetary Fund. The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference was held in July
1944 at
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire[?]. The organizations became operational in
1946 after a sufficient number of countries had ratified the agreement. The architecture of a post-
World War II international financial system has largely stayed in place, despite major shifts in monetary policy (including eliminating the
gold standard).