ABSTRACT
Historically, political authorities have tried to control trade and to protect the economy of their country against foreign competitors. Rome and Greece already knew customs duties. Challenged as early as the eighteenth century, protectionism is somewhat dismantled during the nineteenth century. Beyond the traditional opposition between advocates of protectionism and advocates of free trade, there is nowadays a major conflict between two approaches to liberalization. It is undeniable that significant progress in the direction of trade liberalization has been made since World War II. In Europe, the free trade era did not last for long. As early as 1879, Bismarck increased the rates in Germany. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) did not have, in principle, the sustainable nature of an international organization. By extending it and placing successive trade negotiations under its auspices, however, world trade liberalization has made great progress during seven major rounds of negotiations, some lasting several years.
