Cobden-Chevalier Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Cobden–Chevalier Treaty was a Free Trade
treaty
signed between the United Kingdom
and France
on 23 January, 1860. It is named after the main British and French originators of the treaty, Richard Cobden
MP and Michel Chevalier
.
asked why, instead of spending money on armaments against a possible French invasion, did not the Government attempt to persuade the French Emperor
to trade freely with Britain. Upon reading this speech Chevalier wrote to Cobden and arranged to meet him in England. He discovered that Cobden was planning to visit Paris for family reasons in the winter. Chevalier urged Cobden to meet with the Emperor to try and persuade him of the benefits of Free Trade. In September, Cobden visited the Chancellor of the Exchequer
, William Ewart Gladstone
and they both agreed that a commercial treaty between Britain and France was a good idea.
After talks with Chevalier and the French Minister of Commerce Eugène Rouher
in Paris, Cobden had his first audience with the Emperor on 27 October, 1859. They discussed Free Trade and the Emperor informed him that he could alter tariff
s by decree if it were part of an international treaty but that he was worried that Free Trade would throw French workers out of their jobs. Cobden replied that Free Trade tended to increase rather than diminish the demand for labour and that because of his tariff reforms Sir Robert Peel
came to have great fame and reputation in Britain. The Emperor replied: "I am charmed and flattered at the idea of performing a similar work in my country; but it is very difficult in France to make reforms; we make revolutions in France, not reforms".
On December 9, Chevalier told Cobden that Rouher had drawn up a plan for a commercial treaty which would be submitted for approval from the Emperor the next day. However the Emperor was concerned over the definite advantages France would gain in adopting Free Trade: Britain was so dependent on trade that she was constantly in fear of war whilst France could endure war with much less inconvenience. Persigny
, the French ambassador to Britain, warned the Emperor that war with Britain was a real possibility unless some kind of alliance with Britain was signed, and that with such an alliance in being it did not matter what other European states thought. Rouher presented the Emperor with his commercial plan with sixty pages of favourable arguments, which the Emperor approved. The Emperor announced the treaty in a letter published on January 15, 1860 and it caused fury among the protectionist interests.
the treaty. Lord Cowley
, the British Ambassador to France, and Cobden signed on behalf of the United Kingdom and Jules Baroche
, the French Foreign Minister, and Rouher for France. However it was then discovered that it had been written in the treaty of English coke and coal rather than British, and harbour when it was meant shipping. The treaty was re-written and signed and sealed on 29 January.
on most British manufactured goods to levels not above 30% and reduced British duties on French wines and brandy. In consequence the value of British exports to France more than doubled in the 1860s and the importation of French wines into Britain also doubled. France ended the treaty in 1892 in favour of the Méline tariff.
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
signed between the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 23 January, 1860. It is named after the main British and French originators of the treaty, Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
MP and Michel Chevalier
Michel Chevalier
Michel Chevalier was a French engineer, statesman, economist and free market liberal.-Biography:Born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, Chevalier studied at the École Polytechnique, obtaining an engineering degree at the Paris École des mines in 1829.In 1830, after the July Revolution, he became a...
.
Origins and negotiations
In a Parliamentary session of 1859, Cobden's friend and political ally John BrightJohn Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
asked why, instead of spending money on armaments against a possible French invasion, did not the Government attempt to persuade the French Emperor
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
to trade freely with Britain. Upon reading this speech Chevalier wrote to Cobden and arranged to meet him in England. He discovered that Cobden was planning to visit Paris for family reasons in the winter. Chevalier urged Cobden to meet with the Emperor to try and persuade him of the benefits of Free Trade. In September, Cobden visited the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
and they both agreed that a commercial treaty between Britain and France was a good idea.
After talks with Chevalier and the French Minister of Commerce Eugène Rouher
Eugène Rouher
Eugène Rouher was a French statesman of the Second Empire.He was born at Riom , where he practised law after taking his degree in Paris in 1835. In 1846 he sought election to the Chamber of Deputies as an official candidate of the Guizot ministry...
in Paris, Cobden had his first audience with the Emperor on 27 October, 1859. They discussed Free Trade and the Emperor informed him that he could alter tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s by decree if it were part of an international treaty but that he was worried that Free Trade would throw French workers out of their jobs. Cobden replied that Free Trade tended to increase rather than diminish the demand for labour and that because of his tariff reforms Sir Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
came to have great fame and reputation in Britain. The Emperor replied: "I am charmed and flattered at the idea of performing a similar work in my country; but it is very difficult in France to make reforms; we make revolutions in France, not reforms".
On December 9, Chevalier told Cobden that Rouher had drawn up a plan for a commercial treaty which would be submitted for approval from the Emperor the next day. However the Emperor was concerned over the definite advantages France would gain in adopting Free Trade: Britain was so dependent on trade that she was constantly in fear of war whilst France could endure war with much less inconvenience. Persigny
Jean Gilbert Victor Fialin, duc de Persigny
Jean Gilbert Victor Fialin, duc de Persigny was a French statesman of the Second French Empire.Fialin was born at Saint-Germain-Lespinasse , the son of a receiver of taxes, and was educated at Limoges. He entered the cavalry school at Saumur in 1826, becoming maréchal des logis in the 4th Hussars...
, the French ambassador to Britain, warned the Emperor that war with Britain was a real possibility unless some kind of alliance with Britain was signed, and that with such an alliance in being it did not matter what other European states thought. Rouher presented the Emperor with his commercial plan with sixty pages of favourable arguments, which the Emperor approved. The Emperor announced the treaty in a letter published on January 15, 1860 and it caused fury among the protectionist interests.
Signing
On 23 January, 1860 at the Foreign Office the plenipotentiaries of both nations signed and sealedSeal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
the treaty. Lord Cowley
Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley
Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley KG GCB PC , known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857, was a British diplomat...
, the British Ambassador to France, and Cobden signed on behalf of the United Kingdom and Jules Baroche
Jules Baroche
Pierre Jules Baroche was a French statesman, who served as minister in several of Napoleon III's governments...
, the French Foreign Minister, and Rouher for France. However it was then discovered that it had been written in the treaty of English coke and coal rather than British, and harbour when it was meant shipping. The treaty was re-written and signed and sealed on 29 January.
Effects
The treaty reduced French dutiesDuty (economics)
In economics, a duty is a kind of tax, often associated with customs, a payment due to the revenue of a state, levied by force of law. It is a tax on certain items purchased abroad...
on most British manufactured goods to levels not above 30% and reduced British duties on French wines and brandy. In consequence the value of British exports to France more than doubled in the 1860s and the importation of French wines into Britain also doubled. France ended the treaty in 1892 in favour of the Méline tariff.
Further reading
- A. L. Dunham, The Anglo-French Treaty of Commerce of 1860 and the Progress of the Industrial Revolution in France.