The World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body grew out of decades of experience and the frustrations of sovereign nations regarding the method of settling international conflicts between states over tariff and trade issues. This article discusses the historical development of the World Trade Organization’s dispute resolution system. The first section analyzes a number of agreements and proposals entered into and put forward during the period from 1947 through 1990. The second section addresses the instrument which inaugurates the World Trade Organization’s current dispute settlement procedure and further describes a number of submissions by nations for improvements to the mechanism.