Protection or Free Trade

Henry George's treatise, which discusses the benefits and drawbacks of both protectionist tariffs and unfettered free trade, is published here complete.

When George wrote this book, the economy of the world was seeing unprecedented levels of international trade. Shipping technology facilitated the movement of goods between borders relatively quickly, and the consequent supply was viewed as disruptive to both existing business and labor. 

This book sees Henry George outline arguments and reasoning in favor of tariffs, which are taxes imposed on imports, exports or both. At the same time, George examines views which support zero taxes on goods travelling between borders and even production itself - in short, unfettered free trade. After weighing up the effects of protection and free trade upon wages and the wider economy, George favors the option of free trade. 

Henry George had a unique view on how the economies of the world should be organized, and situated his attitudes to the protectionism versus free trade debate accordingly. He believed that the ever-increasing value of land, and the corresponding rents demanded by landowners, caused the depression of wages, production and prosperity. 

For George, the protection versus free trade debate was thus something of a red herring: the true cause of wages being so low was the ever-increasing cost and rents of land. Rather than impose taxes on goods or the making of goods, George proposed to tax land itself and to treat it as more as a common property, rather than cede it to mass landowners who would in turn charge high prices for its use.