Answer:
The correct answer is the letter b) the U.S. dollar emerged as the dominant world currency, gradually replacing the British pound for the role.
Explanation:
The dollar became a reference throughout the world in the first half of the 20th century, when the gold standard, adopted until then, failed. Until the beginning of the First World War, financial institutions adopted a fixed rate for their currencies in relation to the other. Trade negotiations were carried out respecting this fixed price, preventing some countries from altering their exchange rate to increase their exports and reverse trade deficits, thus guaranteeing the stability of the economy.
With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the gold standard fell, reflecting the major imbalances it caused in economies around the world. Then, a difficult transition period began. Discussions about the new model started during World War II, and the view that the best strategy would be something similar to that adopted during the gold standard, with a fixed exchange rate, based on a hard currency.
Still in the midst of world conflict, 730 delegates from 44 countries met in July 1944 in Bretton Woods, United States,
to define a new world economic order, which would help to restore world capitalism. The leaders started from two initial proposals, one American, by the US Treasury official Harry White, and one British, by the well-known economist John Keynes.
More comprehensive, according to Colistete, Keynes' proposal was centered on the creation of the International Clearing Union (ICU), which would have the role of generating and regulating credit in order to avoid very large economic fluctuations, as occurred in the interwar period. In addition, a new currency unit, the bank, would be created. White's proposal maintained the link between the exchange rate and gold, but the dollar would be the only currency with a value directly fixed in gold (US $ 35 per ounce of gold). Thereafter, all other countries would have a fixed value for their currency against the US currency.
American ideas ended up prevailing, due to the importance of the United States in the post-war scenario.
