Describe the cause and effect of corn laws
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The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain("corn") enforced in Great Britain between 1815 and 1846. They were designed to keep grain prices high to favour domestic producers, and represented British mercantilism, since they were the only mercantilist laws of the country.[1] The Corn Laws imposed steep import duties, making it too expensive to import grain from abroad, even when food supplies were short.
The Corn Laws enhanced the profits and political power associated with land ownership. The laws raised food prices and the costs of living for the British public, and hampered the growth of other British economic sectors, such as manufacturing, by reducing the disposable income of the British public.[2]
The laws became the focus of opposition from urban groups who had far less political power than rural Britain. The laws were supported by Conservative landowners and opposed by Whig industrialists and workers. The first two years of the Irish famine of 1845–1852 forced a resolution because of the urgent need for new food supplies. Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, a Conservative, achieved repeal with the support of the Whigs in Parliament, overcoming the opposition of most of his own party.
Economic historians see the repeal of the Corn Laws as a decisive shift toward free trade in Britain.[3][4]
The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain("corn") enforced in Great Britain between 1815 and 1846. They were designed to keep grain prices high to favour domestic producers, and represented British mercantilism, since they were the only mercantilist laws of the country.[1] The Corn Laws imposed steep import duties, making it too expensive to import grain from abroad, even when food supplies were short.
The Corn Laws enhanced the profits and political power associated with land ownership. The laws raised food prices and the costs of living for the British public, and hampered the growth of other British economic sectors, such as manufacturing, by reducing the disposable income of the British public.[2]
The laws became the focus of opposition from urban groups who had far less political power than rural Britain. The laws were supported by Conservative landowners and opposed by Whig industrialists and workers. The first two years of the Irish famine of 1845–1852 forced a resolution because of the urgent need for new food supplies. Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, a Conservative, achieved repeal with the support of the Whigs in Parliament, overcoming the opposition of most of his own party.
Economic historians see the repeal of the Corn Laws as a decisive shift toward free trade in Britain.[3][4]
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