Explainer: A history of US tariffs

2025/6/5

The Briefing Room

Douglas Irwin

Douglas Irwin: 我认为麦金利关税是美国历史上一个重要的经济政策，它在一定程度上促进了当时的工业发展。作为俄亥俄州的共和党政治家，麦金利在担任众议院筹款委员会主席期间，提出了《麦金利关税法》。该法案在1890年10月生效，旨在提高关税，保护国内产业免受外国竞争，并增加政府收入。然而，麦金利关税也存在一些问题，例如在政治上不受欢迎，并与1890年代的经济萧条有关。尽管如此，麦金利关税仍然对美国经济产生了深远的影响。在担任总统期间，麦金利对关税的看法发生了变化，更加关注国家经济利益，主张降低关税以促进美国对外贸易。我认为特朗普推崇麦金利可能是因为他被视为共和党的代表人物。但需要注意的是，将19世纪末和20世纪初的经济经验应用于2025年全球相互关联的经济体，可能会出现问题，因为当时的经济环境与现在截然不同。例如，当时联邦政府的支出只占GDP的2%，而现在政府支出庞大，无法通过关税来支付。

Deep Dive

Chapters

This chapter explores the economic context of William McKinley's presidency and the impact of his tariff policies. It examines the period of industrial expansion in the US, the role of tariffs in protecting domestic industries, and the political and economic consequences of the McKinley Tariff.

McKinley Tariff of 1890
Period of industrial expansion in the US
Political unpopularity of the McKinley Tariff
Economic downturn in the 1890s

Shownotes Transcript

Tariffs have dominated the first few months of President Trump’s second term. But where did he get the idea from? Ben Carter spoke to Douglas Irwin, professor of economics at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in the US.

This is part of a new mini-series called the The Briefing Room Explainers. They’re short versions of previous episodes of the Briefing Room.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Richard Vadon

Explainer: A history of US tariffs 07:44 Share

The Briefing Room

Deep Dive

Shownotes Transcript

Explainer: A history of US tariffs