PC/AHC/WI: Have British Liberals accepting retaliatory tariffs

Thomas1195

Banned
As know, most Western countries, notably France and Germany, made a return to protectionism since the 1880s following the Long Depression. The exception was Britain, where the free trade consensus remained untouchable until well, 1931. The Tories, despite being protectionist at heart, never dared to challenge the consensus until the 20th century.

Your challenge is to make British Liberals and Conservatives striking a deal which allow for retaliatory tariff measures (at least selectively) to force reciprocal agreements, which would lie between free trade (Liberals) and protectionism (Conservatives). To do so, you need British Liberals to agree that some forms of tariffs/retaliation would be essential to make other countries to lower their tariffs.

The POD would be 1880.
 

Thomas1195

Banned
That is tricky. The Liberals were pretty heavily wedded to the idea of free trade.
Yeah, British Liberals were very indoctrinate, but liberals in other countries, notably Germany (e.g. Friedrich List), Canada, France and the US (most US politicians would be liberals by 19th century European standard), were quite flexible.

But I think have Chamberlain leading the Liberals would be a good start.
 
Yeah, British Liberals were very indoctrinate, but liberals in other countries, notably Germany (e.g. Friedrich List), Canada, France and the US (most US politicians would be liberals by 19th century European standard), were quite flexible.

But I think have Chamberlain leading the Liberals would be a good start.

Yes, but would he be able to carry the rest of the party with him? The Liberals won the 1906 election in a landslide, in part by campaigning for free trade.

Plus, protectionism wasn't even uniformly accepted within the Liberal Unionists, nor within the Conservatives, which lead to the downfall of the collapse of the coalition government.

I think the POD should be sooner than 1880, but I'll let people who know more about that that me judge.
 

Thomas1195

Banned
Plus, protectionism wasn't even uniformly accepted within the Liberal Unionists, nor within the Conservatives, which lead to the downfall of the collapse of the coalition government.
Well, I know, thats why I only talk about retaliatory tariff. Imperial Preference/Full-scale protectionism was definitely unthinkable, but retaliatory tariff might be not.

I think the POD should be sooner than 1880, but I'll let people who know more about that that me judge.
Well, the signs of industrial decline barely existed until the early 1890s, and were of course non-existent before 1880, so I think a 1880 POD is possible.
 

Anderman

Donor
Citing the examples of the corn laws could do the trick. They dropped this tarrifs unilaterally iirc in the hope that the rest of world would fellow britainsexample at least at a time .
But to drop a tarif you must have one in the first place.
 

Thomas1195

Banned
Citing the examples of the corn laws could do the trick. They dropped this tarrifs unilaterally iirc in the hope that the rest of world would fellow britainsexample at least at a time .
But to drop a tarif you must have one in the first place.
Besides, you can even have them read Adam Smith again.
 

Thomas1195

Banned
Would this change in policy have a significant influence on British relative economic position during the late 19th century?
 
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