Between 1934 and 1945, the United States signed 32 reciprocal trade agreements with 27 countries. [4] In addition, the conclusion of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was taken by the Authority under the RTAA. After the civil war, Democrats were generally in favor of trade liberalization and Republicans in general favored higher tariffs. The model was clearly in the congressional votes on tariffs from 1860 to 1930. Democrats were the minority in Congress in the majority of Congresses between the Civil War and the election of Roosevelt. During their brief terms in the majority, Democrats passed several bills to reduce tariffs. Examples include the Wilson-Gorman Act of 1894 and the Underwood Tariff Act of 1913. However, successive Republican majorities have always reversed unilateral tariff cuts. [2] Under the leadership of the United States and the United Kingdom, international cooperation flourished and concrete institutions were created. The discussions that began at the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944 were the International Monetary Fund. The first international trade agreement, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), was established in 1949. In 1994, THE GATT was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO), which still controls international trade agreements.
[20] [21] A law passed by Congress in 1934 to authorize the president to enter into tariff reduction agreements with foreign countries without congressional approval. Based on an idea adopted by the secretary of the… RTAA`s innovative approach freed Roosevelt and Congress from breaking this trend of tariff increases. It has linked U.S. tariff reductions to reciprocal tariff reductions with international partners. It also allowed Congress to approve tariffs by a simple majority, unlike the two-thirds majority needed for other contracts. In addition, the President had the power to negotiate the terms. The three innovations in trade policy have created the political will and feasibility of a more liberal trade policy.
[3] Democrats voted much more in favor of trade liberalization than Republicans, but were not consistent in their preferences. Mp Henry Rainey (D-IL) and members of Roosevelt`s government, Rexford Tugwell, Raymond Moley and Adolf Berle, were skeptical of tariff reductions during the Depression.