American Trade Policy, 1923-1995

by Edward Kaplan

Overview

This work covers trade policy from 1923 to 1995 taking the history of American tariffs from the Prelude to Trade Wars to the present. It begins during the period of high tariffs and discusses the arguments for and against protectionism. Cordell Hull and the Reciprocal Trade Agreements of the 1930s are discussed along with the increase in trade revenue from these agreements. The major changes in trade policy including GATT, the European Community, and many more are discussed in the work. It is part of an on-going debate among economic historians over the supposed movement of the United States toward protectionism since the 1980s.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313294808
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/20/1996
Series:	Contributions in Economics and Economic History
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	1630L (what's this?)

About the Author

EDWARD S. KAPLAN is a Professor in the Social Science Department at New York City Technical College. His speciality is economic history of the United States, and has coauthored Prelude to Trade Wars: American Tariff Policy, 1890-1922 (Greenwood Press, 1994).

Table of Contents

Preface
Background to the Hawley-Smoot Tariff
The Hawley-Smoot Tariff
The Building of a Liberal Trade Policy
The Trade Expansion Act and the Kennedy Round
The Trade Reform Act and the Tokyo Round
Fair Trade and the Uruguay Round
The North American Free Trade Agreement
A Returban to Unilateralism
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Kaplan (economic history of the US, City U. of New York) traces the evolution of the US government's foreign trade policies from high protective tariffs imposed by Republican administrations in the 1920s, through Franklin Roosevelt's denunciation of protectionism in 1932 and the resulting bilateral agreements, and the postwar international agreements that steadily reduced tariffs worldwide, to Clinton's efforts to reduce the US trade deficit by threatening high unilateral tariffs against countries that engage in unfair trade. He sees a danger of a new protectionism arising. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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