Book excerpt: The work takes into consideration ONLY a particular field (cut) of monetary policy that regards the historical context of the monetary debate on fixed versus flexible exchange rates from the early fifties (of the 20th century) to the recent years, or exactly from the ?case for a flexible exchange rates? to the creation of ?optimum currency areas? and monetary unions and the most recent events of the financial crisis in the 1990s and the unconventional monetary policies used during and after the 2008-9 financial crisis. A number of tables and charts will help the reader have a clear idea about the advantages and disadvantages of having a fixed and flexible exchange rates system. The fundamental idea that has pushed me to choose this object of study moves from that relation always complex and changing between the factors and aspects that have heated up the monetary debate on fixed versus flexible exchange rates for decades and how the countries have chosen the right system based on their specific conditions and macroeconomic structure. This research among others focuses on the monetary crises that occurred in the 1990s and early 2000s where several countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin America experienced some unprecedented currency crisis as a result of the effects of quick liberalization and globalization. Moreover it illustrates also some of the factors the contributed to the 2008 financial crisis that hit the U.S. and Eurozone and the post monetary events of the crisis. The financial crisis of 2008-9 demonstrated that unconventional monetary policies can be used to fix part of the economy in recession. In fact, a number of central banks in industrialized countries were forced to pursue unconventional monetary policies such a quantitative easing, very low interest rates, and escape from balance sheet recession to input money in the system and keep the economy running. The Brexit event in Europe with all it consequences is another topic that will be explored in this work.