The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the original institution of the World Bank Group, was set up under the agreements reached at the Bretton Woods conference in 1944 and formally came into being at the end of 1945, when its first member states signed its articles of agreement. Its first aim was to finance the rebuilding of Europe after the Second World War, and its first major loan went to France in 1947. As Europe recovered, it shifted its work to the economic development of poorer countries, lending to governments for projects such as roads, power plants and schools. It is based in Washington, DC, and is owned by its member governments.
Before and after
- 16 November 1945Founding of UNESCO
- 17 November 1945Birth of Abdelmadjid Tebboune
- from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946Nuremberg trials
- December 1945Discovery of the Gospel of Thomas
- 27 December 1945Founding of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- 27 December 1945Founding of World Bank
- 1946Founding of Byurakan Observatory
- from 1946 to 1949Second Kuomintang-Communist Civil War
- 1946Founding of U.C. Sampdoria
More in Society, economy & sport
- 7 April 1948Founding of World Health Organization
- 4 April 1949Founding of NATO
- 1959HIV/AIDS
- 1 November 1993Founding of European Union
- 9 September 1999Founding of African Union
- from 15 November 2019 to 5 May 2023COVID-19 pandemic
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.