Internation Monetary Fund

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known and stable value. Because of uncertainty about the value of money that no longer bore a fixed relation to gold, exchanging money became very difficult between those nations that remained on the gold standard and those that did not. Nations hoarded gold and money that could be converted into gold, further contracting the amount and frequency of monetary transactions between nations, eliminating jobs, and lowering living standards. Moreover, some governments severely restricted the exchange of domestic for foreign money and even searched for barter schemes (for example, a locomotive for 100 tons of coffee) that would eliminate the use of money completely. Other governments, desperate to find foreign buyers for domestic agricultural products, made these products appear cheaper by selling their national money below its real value so as to undercut the trade of other nations selling the same products. This practice, known as competitive devaluation, merely evoked retaliation ...

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