Which of the following institutions was established at the Bretton Woods Conference held in 1944 to stabilize the international monetary system?

Introduction / Context:
The Bretton Woods Conference, held in 1944 in the United States, is a major event in the history of the global financial system. The conference designed a framework for post-war economic cooperation and helped create institutions to oversee exchange rates, balance of payments support and reconstruction. This question checks whether you know which specific institution among the options was created at Bretton Woods to help stabilize the international monetary system.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The question refers to the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944.
• Four international organizations are listed: International Monetary Fund, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization and United Nations Development Programme.
• It is assumed that you know at least the basic purpose of each body and whether it deals with finance, labour, health or development assistance.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is that Bretton Woods primarily focused on monetary and financial issues. The conference is famous for creating what are often called the Bretton Woods institutions: the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank). None of the other listed organizations were created there. Therefore, the correct strategy is to identify which option is a financial institution concerned with exchange rates and balance of payments and select it as the answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the IMF was established to promote international monetary cooperation, exchange rate stability and balanced growth of international trade.Step 2: Remember that the IMF was formally created by the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 and began its operations shortly after the Second World War.Step 3: Note that the International Labour Organization focuses on labour standards and workers' rights and existed long before Bretton Woods.Step 4: The World Health Organization is a health agency created in 1948, and the United Nations Development Programme was established later as a development assistance agency, neither originating from Bretton Woods.Step 5: Therefore, among the options, the institution clearly established at Bretton Woods in 1944 is the International Monetary Fund.

Verification / Alternative Check:
A quick way to verify your answer is to remember the common exam phrase “Bretton Woods twins,” which refers to the IMF and the World Bank. When you see a question linking global finance or monetary stabilization to Bretton Woods, it almost always points toward the IMF. None of the other organizations in the options are described as Bretton Woods institutions in standard textbooks.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• International Labour Organization: Created in 1919, it long predates the Bretton Woods Conference and is concerned with labour issues, not exchange rates.
• World Health Organization: Established in 1948 as a specialized health agency; health was not the primary focus of Bretton Woods.
• United Nations Development Programme: A development agency created later to coordinate UN development activities, not a product of the 1944 financial conference.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the many UN-related agencies and assume that any big organization may have been created at Bretton Woods. Another pitfall is to associate all financial institutions with the same time period, ignoring the specific historical event. To avoid these mistakes, remember that Bretton Woods is specifically about the IMF and the World Bank, with the IMF being the flagship monetary institution.

Final Answer:
The institution established at the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944 is the International Monetary Fund (IMF).