# Canonical recap data for Bretton Woods Conference (1944)
# Source: https://recap.at/1944/bretton-woods
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: bretton-woods
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1944/bretton-woods"
title: Bretton Woods Conference
aliases:
- United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference
- Bretton Woods System
- Mount Washington Conference
subtitle: Allied nations established the IMF, World Bank, and fixed exchange rate system at Bretton Woods, creating the financial order that governed the postwar world.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1944-07-01
endDate: 1944-07-22
datePrecision: day
year: 1944
decade: 1940
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, to regulate what would be the international monetary and financial order afte
summaryLong: The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, to regulate what would be the international monetary and financial order after the conclusion of World War II.
lede: In July 1944, delegates from 44 allied nations gathered at a New Hampshire hotel to design a new global financial system before World War II even ended. They created the International Monetary Fund and World Bank—institutions that would shape international economics for decades—and pegged currencies to the US dollar, which itself was backed by gold.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Mt._Washington_Hotel.jpg/1280px-Mt._Washington_Hotel.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Bretton Woods Conference"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Delegates present
  value: "730"
- label: Allied nations represented
  value: "44"
- label: Location
  value: Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
- label: Dates
  value: July 1–22, 1944
- label: Key institution created
  value: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- label: Second key institution created
  value: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank)
- label: Exchange rate regime established
  value: Fixed exchange rates pegged to US dollar; dollar pegged to gold at $35/ounce
- label: System duration
  value: 1944–1971
timeline:
- date: 1944-07-01
  title: Conference opens
  description: 730 delegates from 44 allied nations convene at Mount Washington Hotel to negotiate the postwar monetary order.
- date: 1944-07-22
  title: Conference concludes
  description: Delegates finalize agreements establishing the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and fixed exchange rate system.
- date: 1945-12-27
  title: IMF and World Bank formally established
  description: The International Monetary Fund and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development officially begin operations.
- date: 1958-12-29
  title: Currency convertibility restored
  description: Major European currencies become convertible to dollars, activating the full Bretton Woods system in practice.
- date: 1971-08-15
  title: Nixon ends dollar-gold convertibility
  description: President Richard Nixon suspends the conversion of dollars to gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_Conference"
  title: Bretton Woods Conference
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Bretton Woods established the postwar monetary order that made the US dollar the world's reserve currency and created enduring institutions—the IMF and World Bank—that still govern international finance. The system itself lasted until 1971, when Nixon ended dollar-gold convertibility, but the institutions born here remain central to global economic governance.
categories:
- election
metaDescription: "July 1944: 730 delegates from 44 nations designed the postwar financial system at Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire."
wikidataQid: Q1194052
taxonomy:
domain: economic
eventTypes:
- stimulus_package
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
- creation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260521211918/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_Conference"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-21
  label: Bretton Woods Conference
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_Conference"
