Precious metals intelligence

Gold Standard History

The gold standard ran for roughly 150 years across several distinct forms before the modern fiat system replaced it.

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Classical

The classical gold standard (roughly 1870-1914) tied major currencies directly to fixed gold weights. International settlement flowed in physical gold. World War I broke the system.

Interwar

The 1920s gold-exchange standard partially restored fixed rates but proved fragile. Britain left in 1931. The system collapsed under Depression-era pressure.

Bretton Woods and after

The 1944 dollar-gold standard ran until 1971. The current fiat system, with no formal gold link, has now run longer than the entire Bretton Woods era — but shorter than the classical standard.

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