Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

TheSerpentandtheDove 131

Thefinal,andmorewrenching,majorchangeconcernedtradepolicy.
Asalongtimefree riderintheBritishsystem,Americanindustryhad
enjoyeda centuryofdomesticprotectionandglobalmarketsbytheout-
breakoftheSecondWorldWar.Fromthe 1828 "TariffofAbominations"
(theobjectofSourhCarolina'snullificatorywrath)totheMcKinleyTar-
iff,raisingtariffstonewlevelsin1890,andthenotoriousSmoot-Hawley
Tariffof1930,Hamiltonianeconomicpolicydovetailedwithsectional
intereststosaddle(or,inLodge'sview,tobless)theUnitedStateswith
anelaborateand,onthewhole,everrisingsystemofindustrialtariffs.
OriginallyintendedtoensurethattheUnitedStatesbuilta manufacrur-
ingeconomyratherthanremainingtrappedinthecolonialroleofpro-
vidingrawmaterialsforBritishindustry,industrialprotectionbecame
lessimportantasAmericanindustryachievedfirsttechnologicalparity
andtheninmanycasesa substantialtechnologicallead.Bytheendof
WorldWarII,whenmuchoftheworld'sindustrialplantwasbombed
out,andAmericancompanieshaduniqueandunchallengedaccesstothe
onlyfullyfunctioningcapitalmarketintheworld,theoldsystemof
industrialprotectionservednogeneralAmericaninterest.
InfactprotectionunderminedAmericaninterests.Othercountries
neededtoruntradesurpluseswiththeUnitedStatestoacquirethedol-
larstheyneededforfoodandreconstruction.TorebuildEurope,tokeep
Japanalive,andgenerallytobuilda functioningworldorder,Hamilto-
nianshadtorelinquishoneoftheiroldestandmostcherishedinstru-
mentsofpolicy.Theydidsowiththeswiftnessofbothcalculationand
actionthatgenerallycharacterizesthisschool,andfromthelate1940Sto
thepresent,theHamiltonianshavebeenthestrongestsupportersoffree
trade.

T

hishasbeena verybriefaccountofanactiveanddetermined

partyinAmericanlife.TheheartoftheFederalist,Whig,and

RepublicanParties,Hamiltonianpoliticiansandstatesmen,manycon-

sciouslyprofessingtofollowHamilton'spoliciesandideas,havedone

muchtoshapeAmericanforeignpolicyoverthelasttwocenturies.Since

theendoftheColdWar,Hamiltonianideashaveclearlyhelpedshape

securityandtradepolicy,andonemaysafelyassumethatthefeathered

serpent-orthecold-bloodeddove-ofHamiltoniancalculationwill

continuetoplayamajorstrategicroleinformulatingAmericanforeign

policylongintothefuture.