贸易自由还是贸易保护——法国19世纪40年代末的贸易原则之争

Free Trade or Protectionism: The Polemic on the International Trade in France during the End of the 1840s

19世纪40年代末,法国七月王朝面临挑战,政界充斥着政治斗争,各政治派别之间的矛盾无法调和。经济危机和后来的萧条使各行各业遭到重创,经济形势不容乐观。在这样的背景下,法国舆论界爆发了针对贸易原则的激烈论战。这场论战并非纯粹针对经济的辩论,而是大革命以来难以弥合的政治裂痕在经济层面的投射:支持1793年宪法的激进派与对1789年原则有好感的温和共和派之间的矛盾无法调和。整个19世纪上半叶,法国自由主义者都在1789年原则和1793年宪法之间犹疑,保守派和激进派之间的矛盾主导了法国的政治生活以及贸易政策的制定。这一时期的贸易原则之争反映出法国政治、经济和社会的多重面相。

At the end of the 1840s,the July Monarchy found itself being challenged by a political scene which was rife with conflicts among various political factions. Meanwhile,the economic crisis of1846-1847 and the subsequent depression heavily hit many industries. In such context,a violent polemic concerning the state of the international trade made its way to the public opinion. This polemic should be considered as the reflection of a deepening political rift that has not been addressed since the French Revolution,rather than a pure confrontation in the economic sector. The liberalists were divided into two opposed camps,including the radicals who endorsed the Constitution of 1793 and the moderates who favoured the Principle of 1789. The hesitation between the Principle of 1789 and that of1793 during the first half of the 19thcentury caused conflicts among the liberalists,which affected the political life and trade policies at that time. In a word,the polemic reflected the multiple aspects of politics,economy and society in France.