This is a thorough historical narrative of the evolution of Western European monetary policy since the end of World War II with emphasis on the analysis of European efforts to establish a monetary union for the countries of the European Common Market. The book gives to the reader an interesting insight into these efforts and carries the story to the present. Contents: Reasons for Western European Support of an International System of Fixed Exchange Rates at the End of World War II; Building a System of Multilateral International Payments; The Bretton Woods System under Stress; The Crisis of 1968 to 1971; The Collapse of the Bretton Woods System and the Foundation of the European Monetary System; European Monetary Systems; The Impact of Economic Deterioration in the EEC Since 1974, on the Process of Economic Integration; The Implications of the Single European Act; Will There Be A European Monetary Union; Bibliography; Index; Tables and Graphs.