如果将金本位制的好处与纸币本位制（法定货币）及其他本位制相比较，金本位制必然会成为全球通行的标准。这些好处不会让任何其他货币本位制得以确立。在整个货币历史上，直到第一次世界大战之前，全世界都实行金本位和银本位。在此之前，世界上并不知道还有其他本位制。然而，当殖民主义者掌握了各种形式的经济和金融帝国主义，并开始把货币当作殖民手段使用时，他们便建立了不同的货币本位制。他们把银行存款和不可兑换的银行券（这些纸币没有金或银的储备）与金和银一并视为货币。因此，有必要阐明金本位制的好处，其中最重要的是：

If the benefits of the gold standard were to be compared with the fiat (paper currency) standard and other standards, it would be inevitable that the monetary gold standard would become a global standard. These benefits would not allow any other monetary standard to become established. Throughout the history of money and up until the First World War, the whole world operated the gold and silver standards. No other standards were known to the world until then. However, when the colonialists mastered the various styles of economic and financial imperialism, and began using currency as a means of colonialism, they established different monetary standards. They considered bank deposits and non exchangeable banknotes, which had no reserve of gold or silver, as money, along with gold and silver. Therefore, it is necessary to explain the benefits of the gold standard, the most important of which are:

1. 金本位要求黄金能够自由流通、进口和出口，这有助于实现货币、金融和经济的稳定。在这种情况下，兑换交易只会源于为支付商品成本和工人薪资而产生的对外支付。

1. The gold basis necessitates the free circulation, import and export of gold, which leads to monetary, financial and economic stability. In this case, transactions of exchange would only originate from foreign payments to meet the cost of commodities and the salaries of workers.

2. 金本位确保了各国之间汇率的稳定，而汇率的稳定又促进了国际贸易的繁荣，因为商人们不再担心对外贸易的扩大会带来汇率不稳定的不确定性。

2. The gold standard ensures the stability of exchange rates between various countries, and the stability of the exchange rates in turn leads to a boom in international trade, for traders would no longer fear the expansion of foreign trade, and the uncertainty of exchange rate instability.

3. 如果采用金本位制，中央银行和政府就无法扩大纸币的发行量。只要纸币不能按固定比率兑换黄金，有关当局便会担心：一旦纸币发行超过限度，人们对黄金的需求就会上升，而它们将无法满足这一需求。因此，它们总会倾向于在所发行的纸币与黄金储备之间保持合理的比例。

3. If the gold standard was employed, central banks and governments would not be able to expand the issuance of banknotes, for as long as the banknote remains non exchangeable with gold at a fixed rate, the authorities concerned would fear that if they exceeded limits in issuing banknotes, the demand for gold would increase and they would not be able to meet this demand. Therefore, they would always tend to maintain a reasonable ratio between what they issue in terms of banknotes and gold reserves.

4. 世界各国所使用的每一种货币，都将固定对应一定数量的黄金。因此，商品、货币和人员在各国之间的流动将变得更加便利，硬通货的问题也将随之消失。

4. Each of the currencies used, all over the world would be fixed by a specific amount of gold. As a result, the movements of commodities, money and people from one country to another would be easier, and the problems of hard currency would disappear.

5. 金本位制将有助于各国保有其黄金，因为黄金不会在各国之间走私流动，各国也无需实行管制来保护其财富，因为黄金只会因正当理由而离开该国，即作为商品的价款或工人的工资。

5. The gold standard would help each country preserve her gold, for there would be no gold smuggling from one country to another, and countries would not need to exercise control in order to protect their wealth, for gold would only leave the country for legitimate reasons i.e. as prices for commodities or salaries for workers.

这些是金本位制的若干好处，而这些好处都使得全世界有必要实行这一本位制。因此，得知直到第一次世界大战之前，全世界确实都在实行金本位制，也就不足为奇了。

These are some of the benefits of the gold standard, and they all make it necessary that the world operates this standard. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to learn that the whole world up until the First World War was indeed operating the gold standard.

在第一次世界大战爆发之初,世界上最为盛行的货币制度是金本位制,当时流通的货币实际上是金币以及可随时按等值兑换黄金的纸币。银本位制也与金本位制并行。这一制度的实行带来了最为富有成效的经济往来。然而,1914年第一次世界大战宣战后,交战各国采取了某些措施,导致金本位制陷入混乱。一些国家取消了货币兑换黄金的义务,另一些国家对黄金出口实行严厉限制,还有一些国家则对黄金进口设置障碍。这种状况一直持续到1971年,当时美国宣布结束金本位制的运作,并表示打算切断黄金与美元之间的联系。此后,黄金与货币不再有关系,而是变得如同其他任何商品一样。美国的意图是确立美元作为全球货币基础,从而控制和主导国际货币市场。因此,金本位制不再在全世界范围内运行,货币体系因此受到扰乱,汇率也随之波动。从那时起,货币、商品和服务的流通便出现了障碍和困难。

At the start of the first world war, the most prevailing monetary system in the world was that based on the gold standard, and money in circulation at the time was in fact gold coins and paper money readily exchangeable for their equivalent value in gold. The silver standard also operated alongside the gold standard. The implementation of this standard led to the establishment of the most productive economic relations. However, when the First World War was declared in 1914, the warring countries undertook certain measures which led to disorder in the gold standard. Some countries cancelled the liability of exchanging their currencies to gold. Other countries imposed harsh restrictions on the export of gold, while others put obstacles in the face of importing it. This continued until 1971 when America declared that she had put an end to the operation of the gold standard and that she intended to sever the link between gold and the dollar. Since then, gold has had no relation with the currency, but rather has become like any other commodity. America’s intention was to establish the dollar as the monetary basis world-wide so that it could control and dominate the international money market. Therefore, the gold standard no longer operated throughout the world and this disturbed the monetary system and the rates of exchange fluctuated. Since then, obstacles and difficulties in the transfer of currencies, goods and services have appeared.