Book for Bretton Woods conferences and gold standard

Question

I am looking for a good book to explain to me why the gold standard existed and why in the Bretton Woods conferences, some countries choose to abandon it. An explanation of the general scenario in a historical setting would also be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Covering the historical part, you may want to look at:

1) The Battle of Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order

which appears to be written in a "non-fiction thriller" style, revolving around the argument that

"(Bretton Woods) was in reality part of a much more ambitious geopolitical agenda hatched within President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Treasury and aimed at eliminating Britain as an economic and political rival. At the heart of the drama were the antipodal characters of John Maynard Keynes, the renowned and revolutionary British economist, and Harry Dexter White, the dogged, self-made American technocrat."

while the raw-data option would be

2) The Bretton Woods Transcripts

that

"...offer the reader a front row seat at the conference that has shaped the international monetary system for nearly 70 years. The Bretton Woods Transcripts were never intended for publication, and give an inside perspective of what participants at this major international gathering said behind closed doors."