In these times of the second Trump era, it is the day that the word tariffs no arise; Regarding when the US wants to impose its particular solution to the problem to any other country. Based on threatening to raise customs tariffs if you do not accept your demands.
In Spain we have had successive tariffs in the contemporary era, starting with that of 1869, by Laureano Figuerola. Minister of Finance that was with the governments presided by General Prim, had a rather liberal character, although he also had a protective clause, called Base 5, just in case.
Then came the most protectionist tariff of Cánovas del Castillo, 1891, which assured the internal market for the Catalan textile, the Basque steel, as well as the Castilian cereals and the Asturian coal. Protectionism that was further reinforced with the tariff of the Minister of Finance Amós Salvador – with Segismundo Moret as president of the Council of Ministers – since 1906. Keeping at high levels of preferential advantage practically for all Spanish products; in front of the importation of France, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Identical trend showed the new Francesc Cambó tariff, 1922 – with the head of government to Antonio Maura -, with which Spain covered a long period: the great depression since 1929, the Republic, the Civil War and the postwar period, until 1959. A time in which the most protective were no longer the tariffs, but the quantitative import restrictions; such as quotas, quotas, etc., or simply the expensive licenses to imports. It was the fall in bilateralism, with the rupture of the freembio.
The return to normal occurred in Spain in 1963, when the Ullastres tariff, name of the Minister of Commerce at that time. Spain prepared from that moment to adhesion to the European Community (1986), and the gradual adoption of its CE tariff, with much lower protective levels.
We will continue next week with the current Trumpiana tariff war, as brutal as inoportuna, as we will see.