From the 1870s to the beginning of World War I in 1914, the gold standard stood the test of time until its abandonment at the start of the war. The financing of substantial military expenses by several governments because of the war resulted in the printing of money. This action brought about inflation and ultimately the rise in prices towards the end of the war in 1918. While many nations reverted to the gold standard after World War 1, however, the period that followed was unstable and many nations devalued their currencies thus creating uncertainty in the value of currencies when gold was being purchased. A main feature of the gold standard saw the exchanging of currencies into gold to prevent any future devaluation. This resulted in extreme
