Brief History of the Gold Standard (GS) in the United States

Brief History of the Gold Standard (GS) in the United States PDF Author: Craig K. Elwell
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 143798889X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description
The U.S. monetary system is based on paper money backed by the full faith and credit of the fed. gov't. The currency is neither valued in, backed by, nor officially convertible into gold or silver. Through much of its history, however, the U.S. was on a metallic standard of one sort or another. On occasion, there are calls to return to such a system. Such calls are usually accompanied by claims that gold or silver backing has provided considerable economic benefits in the past. This report reviews the history of the GS in the U.S. It clarifies the dates during which the GS was used, the type of GS in operation at the various times, and the statutory changes used to alter the GS and eventually end it. It is not a discussion of the merits of the GS. A print on demand oub.

Brief History of the Gold Standard (GS) in the United States

Brief History of the Gold Standard (GS) in the United States PDF Author: Craig K. Elwell
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 143798889X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 18

Get Book Here

Book Description
The U.S. monetary system is based on paper money backed by the full faith and credit of the fed. gov't. The currency is neither valued in, backed by, nor officially convertible into gold or silver. Through much of its history, however, the U.S. was on a metallic standard of one sort or another. On occasion, there are calls to return to such a system. Such calls are usually accompanied by claims that gold or silver backing has provided considerable economic benefits in the past. This report reviews the history of the GS in the U.S. It clarifies the dates during which the GS was used, the type of GS in operation at the various times, and the statutory changes used to alter the GS and eventually end it. It is not a discussion of the merits of the GS. A print on demand oub.

The Rise and Fall of the Gold Standard

The Rise and Fall of the Gold Standard PDF Author: Sir Charles Morgan-Webb
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
ISBN: 9781014744333
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A Retrospective on the Classical Gold Standard, 1821-1931

A Retrospective on the Classical Gold Standard, 1821-1931 PDF Author: Michael D. Bordo
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226066924
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 694

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Book Description
This is a timely review of the gold standard covering the 110 years of its operation until 1931, when Britain abandoned it in the midst of the Depression. Current dissatisfaction with floating rates of exchange has spurred interest in a return to a commodity standard. The studies in this volume were designed to gain a better understanding of the historical gold standard, but they also throw light on the question of whether restoring it today could help cure inflation, high interest rates, and low productivity growth. The volume includes a review of the literature on the classical gold standard; studies the experience with gold in England, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Canada; and perspectives on international linkages and the stability of price-level trends under the gold standard. The articles and commentaries reflect strong, conflicting views among hte participants on issues of central bank behavior, purchasing-power an interest-rate parity, independent monetary policies, economic growth, the "Atlantic economy," and trends in commodity prices and long-term interest rates. This is a thoughtful and provocative book.

Three Days at Camp David

Three Days at Camp David PDF Author: Jeffrey E. Garten
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 006288770X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
The former dean of the Yale School of Management and Undersecretary of Commerce in the Clinton administration chronicles the 1971 August meeting at Camp David, where President Nixon unilaterally ended the last vestiges of the gold standard—breaking the link between gold and the dollar—transforming the entire global monetary system. Over the course of three days—from August 13 to 15, 1971—at a secret meeting at Camp David, President Richard Nixon and his brain trust changed the course of history. Before that weekend, all national currencies were valued to the U.S. dollar, which was convertible to gold at a fixed rate. That system, established by the Bretton Woods Agreement at the end of World War II, was the foundation of the international monetary system that helped fuel the greatest expansion of middle-class prosperity the world has ever seen. In making his decision, Nixon shocked world leaders, bankers, investors, traders and everyone involved in global finance. Jeffrey E. Garten argues that many of the roots of America’s dramatic retrenchment in world affairs began with that momentous event that was an admission that America could no longer afford to uphold the global monetary system. It opened the way for massive market instability and speculation that has plagued the world economy ever since, but at the same time it made possible the gigantic expansion of trade and investment across borders which created our modern era of once unimaginable progress. Based on extensive historical research and interviews with several participants at Camp David, and informed by Garten’s own insights from positions in four presidential administrations and on Wall Street, Three Days at Camp David chronicles this critical turning point, analyzes its impact on the American economy and world markets, and explores its ramifications now and for the future.

Golden Fetters

Golden Fetters PDF Author: Barry J. Eichengreen
Publisher: NBER Series on Long-term Factors in Economic Development
ISBN: 9780195101133
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
This book offers a reassessment of the international monetary problems that led to the global economic crisis of the 1930s. The author shows how policies, in conjunction with the imbalances created by World War I, gave rise to the global crisis of the 1930s.

Financial Markets and Financial Crises

Financial Markets and Financial Crises PDF Author: R. Glenn Hubbard
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226355887
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Book Description
Warnings of the threat of an impending financial crisis are not new, but do we really know what constitutes an actual episode of crisis and how, once begun, it can be prevented from escalating into a full-blown economic collapse? Using both historical and contemporary episodes of breakdowns in financial trade, contributors to this volume draw insights from theory and empirical data, from the experience of closed and open economies worldwide, and from detailed case studies. They explore the susceptibility of American corporations to economic downturns; the origins of banking panics; and the behavior of financial markets during periods of crisis. Sever papers specifically address the current thrift crisis—including a detailed analysis of the over 500 FSLIC-insured thrifts in the southeast—and seriously challenge the value of recent measures aimed at preventing future collapse in that industry. Government economists and policy makers, scholars of industry and banking, and many in the business community will find these timely papers an invaluable reference.

Destabilizing the Global Monetary System: Germany’s Adoption of the Gold Standard in the Early 1870s

Destabilizing the Global Monetary System: Germany’s Adoption of the Gold Standard in the Early 1870s PDF Author: Mr.Johannes Wiegand
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498301223
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
In 1871-73, newly unified Germany adopted the gold standard, replacing the silver-based currencies that had been prevalent in most German states until then. The reform sparked a series of steps in other countries that ultimately ended global bimetallism, i.e., a near-universal fixed exchange rate system in which (mostly) France stabilized the exchange value between gold and silver currencies. As a result, silver currencies depreciated sharply, and severe deflation ensued in the gold block. Why did Germany switch to gold and set the train of destructive events in motion? Both a review of the contemporaneous debate and statistical evidence suggest that it acted preemptively: the Australian and Californian gold discoveries of around 1850 had greatly increased the global supply of gold. By the mid-1860s, gold threatened to crowd out silver money in France, which would have severed the link between gold and silver currencies. Without reform, Germany would thus have risked exclusion from the fixed exchange rate system that tied together the major industrial economies. Reform required French accommodation, however. Victory in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71 allowed Germany to force accommodation, but only until France settled the war indemnity and regained sovereignty in late 1873. In this situation, switching to gold was superior to adopting bimetallism, as it prevented France from derailing Germany’s reform ex-post.

Battles for the Standard

Battles for the Standard PDF Author: Ted Wilson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135172567X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
This title was first published in 2000. This is a history of the monetary developments in the international economy of the 19th century. It reviews the monetary developments in the core economies of the period: Britain, the United States, France, Germany, and also India. Particular attention is given to the expansion of the gold standard in the context of the intense national and international debates about the role of precious metals and the author also examines the conflict between supporters of gold, silver and bimetallism, both in terms of competing financial and economic theories and in terms of the varying social and cultural backgrounds that informed them. The main thrust of the work is that the sheer plurality of ideas and contexts helped to ensure the eventual victory of the gold standard, despite the inherent superiority of bimetallic systems.

Do Old Habits Die Hard? Central Banks and the Bretton Woods Gold Puzzle

Do Old Habits Die Hard? Central Banks and the Bretton Woods Gold Puzzle PDF Author: Eric Monnet
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498326773
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
Why did monetary authorities hold large gold reserves under Bretton Woods (1944–1971) when only the US had to? We argue that gold holdings were driven by institutional memory and persistent habits of central bankers. Countries continued to back currency in circulation with gold reserves, following rules of the pre-WWII gold standard. The longer an institution spent in the gold standard (and the older the policymakers), the stronger the correlation between gold reserves and currency. Since dollars and gold were not perfect substitutes, the Bretton Woods system never worked as expected. Even after radical institutional change, history still shapes the decisions of policymakers.

Lords of Finance

Lords of Finance PDF Author: Liaquat Ahamed
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594201820
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description
Argues that the stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent Depression occurred as a result of poor decisions on the part of four central bankers who jointly attempted to reconstruct international finance by reinstating the gold standard.