Unit 6 Goodbye, Free Trade? Exercises 1. Answer the questions on the text. 1) What was the result when the House of Representatives passed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act in 1930? The economic recession in the United States became even worse. 2) According to the author, what happens when a currency appreciates? It diminishes the export advantage of the country and makes it difficult to increase exports or even maintain the status quo. 3) How did American politicians take advantage of the public ’s strong anti-free-trade sentiment in the United States? They created a talking point in charges of unfair trade so that they thought they could benefit in the mid-term elections. 4) What did American politicians and economists agree and disagree over the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Almost all of them agreed that it was a bad law, but they disagreed whether it triggered the Great Depression in the 1930s. 5) What did Milton Friedman think were the more important reasons for the Great Depression? The malfunctioning gold standard system and inept monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. 6) What was the foreign reaction unexpected by the American lawmakers after the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act was enacted? The trading partners were angered and imposed discriminatory tariffs on American goods. Canada in particular, as the largest export market for the US, reacted fiercely and handed its market over to the British competitors. 7) Why is it unlikely for the US to adopt another Smoot-Hawley today in the eye of the author? (1) The US is much more integrated into the world economy today than it was in the 1930s. (2) Import restrictions seldom achieve their intended goals, instead, often end up hurting American industr...
