Why would anyone want free trade?

[Berzerker]

Yup, just imagine what life would be like with your neighbors hitting you with tariffs when you try to buy something from a neighbor who doesn't employ tariffs. It's an awfully arrogant mindset behind tariffs...

[South killer]

I'm against free-market. I don't agree with the economy being totally controlled by the state but i recognice that some control is needed to protect people from the abuses of multinational companies. Take the example that pplan austral said: in argentina the companies are buying big terrains with lakes, rivers, etc. I think a state should control this things not to happen. I'm also against free market because it only benefits big companies from the 1rst world. When there aren't trade restrictions, small companies from small countries can't compete with big companies and go in bankrupcy(sp?).
Also, my country is an example of what totally free market economies can do to a country. In 1989 president Menem was elected in my country. He privatised practically all state companies following all the IMF suggestions of Free Market economies. For some years the IMF referred to Argentina as an example of a perfect economic policy. Now, finally, that economic policy (combined, of course with other things as corruption, etc.) is what lead us to the crisis we are in now.

I'll finish my post with some real quotes:

''The few people that can understand the system (banks and loans) will be so interested in their benefits that they won't oppose to that system. While the majority of people that can't understand that the capital derives from the system, will carry the consequences without complaints and without suspecting that the system is hostile to their interests''
-Extract from a letter written by London Rotshild Brothers to an enterprise in New York the 25 of july of 1863

Give me the control of the currency of a nation and I won't care those who govern that nation.
-Meyer Amschel, founder of the Rothschild dinasty, XVIII century.

[el freako]

A lot of these examples of protectionist vs free trade economies are too short term.

I think the best example is Argentina - before WW1 they had one of the highest standard's of living in the world (higher than France or Germany and within spitting distance of the UK and USA).
They instituted a protectionist regime that lasted untill the 1990's, by which time their standard of living had fallen below Portugal's or Greece's.

[TheBirdMan]

The starter of this thread have lost his interest of the subject I think.