Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Sterling's postwar role and lessons from the 1947 convertibility crisis; 2. The 1949 devaluation: readjusting the postwar parities; 3. The reopening of the London foreign exchange market: Sterling's window on the world. 4. The bank on the market; 5. The reopening of the London gold market in 1954: sealing the fate of sterling and the international system; 6. 1958 convertibility and its consequences. 7. The gold pool; 8. Cooperation and the fed swap network; 9. The 1964–7 currency crisis; 10. The 1967 devaluation and the fall of the gold pool; 11. The consequences of the devaluation: ongoing crisis and window dressing at the bank of England; 12. Britain, Nixon and the end of Bretton woods; 13. Was the IMF crisis 'natural' or 'manmade'; 14. Britain's last currency crisis; Conclusion; Data availability; Bibliography.

Promotional Information

This history of sterling shows how the Bank of England defended the pound and managed foreign exchange.

About the Author

Alain Naef is a research economist at the Banque de France working on the international monetary system.