Cobden Treaty
The Cobden Treaty (also known as the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty ) was a trade treaty concluded in 1860 between France and England .
The contract is named after the entrepreneur and politician Richard Cobden , who made a significant contribution to its creation. On the French side, Michel Chevalier was its main negotiating partner. The agreement provided for most-favored-nation treatment in trade between the two countries . The two contracting parties thus undertook to grant the other those trade advantages, in particular tariff advantages, that they would grant third countries.
As a result of the treaty, France significantly reduced its tariffs on British imports in two steps. Great Britain completely abolished tariffs on trade with France. The treaty is considered to be a central element of a liberal trade and economic policy in the 19th century. It led to a drop in tariffs and extensive free trade between the two countries. A similar agreement was signed between France and the German Customs Union on March 29, 1862. Other countries such as Belgium , Italy and Switzerland were added later. The result was a Europe-wide fall in many tariffs. After the founding of the empire in 1871 , the German economy first experienced the start-up boom and then in 1873 the start-up crash . Many industrial companies had overcapacity; iron and steel prices fell. Cheap grain from America and Russia pressed on the market, many East Elbe Junkers had economic difficulties. They changed positions and called for protectionism instead of free trade. Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck made a customs policy turn to protectionism in 1878. The empire introduced import duties on iron, grain, wood and cattle. Bismarck wanted to increase state revenues with the tariffs. Domestically, Bismarck switched from the National Liberals, who had supported a free trade policy, to the Center Party and Conservatives .
In the 1880s, protectionism also regained importance in other countries. France ended the Cobden Treaty in 1892 in favor of the Méline customs ; tariffs on agricultural products rose from 3.3% (1881–84) to 21.3% (1893–95). In essence, only Great Britain stuck to free trade.
The tariffs were overcompensated by the massive drop in transport prices. For example, railways and steamships transported grain from the Midwest of the USA ( Grain Belt ) to Europe more cheaply, so that Bismarck's tariffs only slowed imports slightly.
literature
- Imanuel Geiss : Terms. The systematic dimension of world history (= history at hand. Vol. 4). Wissen Media-Verlag, Gütersloh et al. 2002, ISBN 3-577-14614-1 , p. 747.
- Anselm Doering-Manteuffel : The German Question and the European State System 1815–1871 (= Encyclopedia of German History. Vol. 15). 3rd edition expanded to include a supplement. Oldenbourg, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-486-59675-5 , p. 39.