For four decades, gold bullion was illegal for individuals to possess in any significant quantity in a country that is just so much better than Russia in every way:  The United States.  Internet spoiler:  That is sarcasm.

I think that Bretton Woods qualifies as using gold for international trade.  Internet spoiler:  That is a wry understatement.

Gold was not generally legalized for individual American slaves “citizens” until after the United States pulled a Do Kwon on the USD-XAU peg.  (Do Kwon is an amateur crook and a saint compared to the United States.  The United States is a dirty dollar-ponzi shitcoin scammer which wrecked the global economy on a long-term basis, from the Nixon Shock forward.  Anyone who wants to disagree is hereby commanded to STFU, and give U.S. Dollar bagholder-countries the gold reserves that the U.S. properly owes to them as of 1971.  I have zero tolerance for apologism for scams.)

Sooo...  There is not necessarily any contradiction between your Wednesday and your Friday.  #justsaying