Global imbalances were much smaller during the Bretton Woods era compared to the post-Bretton Woods period, when US external and internal imbalances deteriorated seriously. The Bretton Woods system only indirectly constrained global imbalances through pegged exchange rates and capital controls. There was no lasting agreement on symmetric adjustment responsibilities between surplus and deficit countries or on the deflationary bias of reserve centers like the US. Unilateralism undermined IMF surveillance, and both the US and major surplus countries refused special responsibilities, contributing to failures that still impact negotiations over global imbalances today.