Joseph Chamberlain And Tariff Reform Campaign

On May 15, 1903 Britain's Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain made the speech in Birmingham. He appealed to give up free trade policy and adopt duty protection policy in order to maintain Britain Empire. It initiated a far-reaching Tariff Reform Campaign in the nation soon after. This thesis has made an investigation on the whole course of Chamberlain's Tariff Reform Campaign with the purpose to analyze its causes and influences.The thesis is made up of three chapters as the foliowings:Chapter one makes an inquiry into the background of the rising of Tariff Reform Campaign and the basic reason that Chamberlain had launched this campaign. In the Late Nineteenth and the Early Twentieth, the economic situation of Britain had great changes. It appeared a relative decline. Some Englishmen had begun to doubt free trade policy that was the main policy of English economic development since 1940s. They initiated " the fair trade movement" against free imports in 1980s. This campaign had not only revived old protection emotion of British, but also established foundation for Chamberlain's Tariff Reform Campaign in 1903.Chamberlain was one of the most active and influential politicians. He was also a radical imperialist. He had paid close attention to the future of British Empire and gradually formed an intense empire unity thought. Driving by this thought, Chamberlain did his best for empire unity. While the initial practice of empire unity thought was proved failure, Chamberlain launched Tariff Reform Campaign.Chapter two studies the course of Tariff Reform Campaign. Chamberlain's Birmingham speech in May 1903 produced tremendous responses. Tariff Reformers and Free Traders opened up a fierce debate from Cabinet to the nation, from Dominions to all over the world. The Prime Minister mediated between Tariff Reformers and Free Traders to prevent the party from splitting. He delivered Economic Notes on Insular Free Trade, proposes his view. Chamberlain recruited Brains Trust, formed Tariff Reform League, and made speeches throughout the country in order to propagate Tariff Reform and win more supporters. But in the Early 1904 the development of situation became unfavorable. With the short reviving of British economic, Tariff Reform Campaign declined gradually, and led the Conservative to be defeated in the Election of 1906.Chapter three mainly analyzes the reasons of Tariff Reform Campaign' s failure and its influences. Because of the formidable weakness of Chamberlain and Tariff Reform programs, the powerful force of dissenters and the deep-rooted free trade conception, Tariff Reform Campaign failed before Chamberlain died. However, this campaign had a far-reaching influence in the politics and economics of British at that time. In politics, it divided Conservative, split Liberal Unionist, and re-united Liberals. In economic, Chamberlain's request for Tariff Reform warned English people to re-consider the politic and economic status of Britain in the Late Nineteenth and the Early Twentieth. His advocacy in Empire Preferential policy had a long influence for British economic.At present, there is no detail and thorough research about Tariff Reform Campaign in Britain in the Late Nineteenth and the Early Twentieth in domestic. This article takes Joseph Chamberlain and Tariff Reform Campaign during 1903-1906 should be novel.