Changes

Theoretically, the advocates of free trade argued, reduction of tariffs would encourage non-democratic and corrupt developing world regimes to become more [[democracy|democratic]]. Alternatively, in the communist bloc of nations, all the contradictions of [[Marxism]] prohibited individuals from making any choices to improve their own economic wellbeing or engage in trade with a profit motive.

Theoretically, the advocates of free trade argued, reduction of tariffs would encourage non-democratic and corrupt developing world regimes to become more [[democracy|democratic]]. Alternatively, in the communist bloc of nations, all the contradictions of [[Marxism]] prohibited individuals from making any choices to improve their own economic wellbeing or engage in trade with a profit motive.

By 2014, when improvement of the [[human rights]] record in countries such as [[Russia]], [[China]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Mexico]] or [[Turkey]], to name only a few, failed to materialize, the belief that shipping U.S. and EU manufacturing jobs to less developed countries would encourage them to become more democratic was exposed as seriously flawed. The [[Iran nuke deal]] - reducing trade restrictions against Iran, and the [[Magnitsky Act]] or Russia sanctions bill are testaments of the false premise - that free trade leads to democratization and improved human rights. The free trade movement in America was built on this false premise beginning in the 1980s.

By 2014, when improvement of the [[human rights]] record in countries such as [[Russia]], [[China]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Mexico]] or [[Turkey]], to name only a few, failed to materialize, the belief that shipping U.S. and EU manufacturing jobs to less developed countries would encourage them to become more democratic was exposed as seriously flawed. The [[Iran nuke deal]] - reducing trade restrictions against Iran, and the [[Magnitsky Act]] or [[Russia sanctions]] bill are testaments of the false premise - that free trade leads to democratization and improved human rights. The free trade movement in America was built on this false premise beginning in the 1980s.

The post-[[World War II]] free trade movement really dates from the mid 1950s and creation of the European Common Market, which evolved into the European Union with its own [[parliament]] by the 1980s. To compete with the burgeoning economic power of the European Union, reducing North American trade barriers was finalized in the [[NAFTA]] agreement by 1996. Cold War politics cannot be overlooked in understanding how the modern free trade movement was built on a house of cards.

The post-[[World War II]] free trade movement really dates from the mid 1950s and creation of the European Common Market, which evolved into the European Union with its own [[parliament]] by the 1980s. To compete with the burgeoning economic power of the European Union, reducing North American trade barriers was finalized in the [[NAFTA]] agreement by 1996. Cold War politics cannot be overlooked in understanding how the modern free trade movement was built on a house of cards.