Study On The Trade Policies Of Agricultural Protection During The Imperial Germany

After the middle of the 19th century, the agricultural production efficiency enhanced unceasingly in Germany. Continuous development of transportation technology, especially in railway and steamship, promoted the development of domestic and transnational transport enterprises. But at the same time, due to its own conditions combined with the convenient traffic conditions, the agriculture of America and Russia gradually impacted German agriculture in domestic and international markets. Especially in the 1873 world economic crisis and agricultural crisis, the idea of free trade began to shake in German agriculture community.The worldwide economic crisis of 1873 caused huge and heavy blow to Germany’s industry, the German industry especially heavy industry and cotton textile industry hence adopted a policy of trade protection. However, due to lack of political power, industry community coping the agricultural community Composed "Marriage of Tron and Rye". They demanded the government to implement trade protectionism. Mainly for the purpose of federal financial independence, Bismarck enacted the Tariff Act of 1879 to implement the trade protection on agriculture. After Bismarck’s stepping down, Caprivi succeed him as prime minister. Caprivi advocated the "industrial products export strategy" to reduce the tariffs on agricultural products in exchange for other country reducing the tariffs on German industrial products. With that Germany signed a series of favorable industrial exports trade treaties with other countries. Agricultural community especially the Agrarian League strongly opposed Caprivi’s trade policy that sacrificing the interests of agricultural community, and forced Caprivi to step down. But those trade treaties lasted for 12 years, therefore Germany implemented the Conventional tariff in a long period of time. Bulow revised the Tariff Act and re-signed trade treaty to reinvigorate agricultural trade protection policy.The trade policies of agricultural protection during the Imperial Germany had gone through Bismarck-Caprivi-Bulow three stages, and had a profound impact on Germany. This policy contributed to the increase of the federal government’s fiscal revenue and strengthen the power of agriculture group. However, in the process of industrialization, trade protection of agricultural was just a kind of senseless struggle, could not change the trend of industrial development. Meanwhile agricultural trade protection also injured German consumers’interests, led to a tension between Germany and its trade-related countries.