A Digital Collection of the History of the IMF

 

The IMF at 80

 

 

Last updated on August 21, 2024

 

 

This collection of publications and documents from the International Monetary Fund provides insight into its history. The links include the full collection of the IMF’s official histories, which were each authored and curated by the IMF’s Historian at the time—J. Keith Horsefield (1963-67), Margaret de Vries (1973-87), and James Boughton (1992-2000; 2004-12)—as well as other works that have recorded the IMF’s history for 70 years.

80 Years of the IMF

Introductory video on the founding of the IMF:


AUDIO: 80 Years of Bretton Woods and the Challenges Ahead.
Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, Director, Strategy, Policy, and Review Department for the IMF, speaks about the roles of Bretton Woods institutions and the how the IMF has adapted to continue its service to its members.


The IMF and the European Debt Crisis

The IMF and the European Debt Crisis

 

 

 

 

 

 


The IMF and the Force of History: Events and Ideas That Have Shaped the Global Institution

The IMF and the Force of History

 

 

 

 

 

 


Confronting Crisis – Global Cooperation and the International Monetary Fund

Confronting Crisis - Global Cooperation and the IMF

 

 

 

 

 

 


Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund

Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 


The International Monetary Fund, 1945–1965: Twenty Years of International Monetary CooperationVolume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3

The International Monetary Fund, 1945-1965: Twenty Years of International Monetary Cooperation


American in the Shadows:Harry Dexter White and the Design of the International Monetary Fund

American in the Shadows


The International Monetary Fund, 1966-1971: The System Under Stress, Volume 1, Volume 2

The International Monetary Fund, 1966-1971: The System Under Stress


The IMF in a Changing World, 1945-1985

The IMF in a Changing World, 1945-1985


The International Monetary Fund, 1972-1978: Cooperation on Trial,  Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3

The International Monetary Fund, 1972-1978: Cooperation on Trial, Volumes 1 through 3


Fifty Years After Bretton Woods: The Future of the IMF and the World Bank

Fifty Years After Bretton Woods: The Future of the IMF and the World Bank


Silent Revolution: The International Monetary Fund, 1979-1989

Silent Revolution: The International Monetary Fund, 1979-1989


Dollars, Debt, and Deficits—60 Years After Bretton Woods

Dollars, Debt, and Deficits - 60 Years After Bretton Woods


From Great Depression to Great Recession: The Elusive Quest for International Policy Cooperation

From Great Depression to Great Recession: The Elusive Quest for International Policy Cooperation


Tearing Down Walls: The International Monetary Fund, 1990-1999

Tearing Down Walls: The International Monetary Fund, 1990-1999


International Monetary Cooperation Since Bretton Woods

International Monetary Cooperation Since Bretton Woods


The IMF and the Force of History: Ten Events and Ten Ideas that Have Shaped the Institution

The IMF and the Force of History


International Monetary Fund Annual Reports

International Monetary Fund Annual Reports


Finance & Development: June 2024: An IMF for Tomorrow

Finance and Development, June 2024: An IMF for Tomorrow   


Finance & Development: June 2019: The IMF at 75

Finance and Development, June 2019: The IMF at 75   


VIDEO: Bretton Woods: The Next Chapter. Historians discuss the founding of the IMF and the events that have shaped it. Speakers: Jim Boughton, former IMF Historian, Bessma Momani, associate professor at the University of Waterloo, Greg Ip, U.S. Economics Editor, The Economist, Joseph P. Joyce, author of "The IMF and Global Economic Crises: Phoenix Rising?", Kurt Schuler, Coeditor, The Bretton Woods Transcripts, Benn Steil, author, The Battle of Bretton Woods, and Gerry Rice, IMF Communications Director. (1:23).


BLOG

From the History Books, the Rethinking of the International Monetary System - Fifty years ago, the world changed. On August 15, 1971, US President Richard Nixon slammed shut the “gold window,” suspending dollar convertibility. Although it was not Nixon’s intention, this act effectively marked the end of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates.


PODCASTS

The 1990s: The IMF and the Stormy Decade Revealing the Secrets of Bretton Woods