Ep. 361 | McKinley, Tariffs, and the Open Door Policy
Just in time for Liberation Day, I'm presenting this timely episode. Back in 1890, with the aim of protecting American companies from foreign competition, tariffs were jacked up significantly. With all the advances in transport, logistics, and new technologies, world trade was shifting into a higher gear. For a few centuries, the Ming and Qing emperors did their damnedest to regulate the invasion of European traders clamoring to do business with Chinese merchants. The foreigners wanted free, open, and unfettered trade with China. By the 1890’s and a few humiliating unequal treaties later, the dream finally came true. That’s when the real problems started.
Thanks to Dan Stein for this topic idea we discussed over lunch recently.
Thanks to a team of amateur historians, WWII enthusiasts, and survivors, this interesting of Mr. Lam Ping Yu 林炳堯 who left behind a WWII diary from 1944 that was rediscovered by chance in 2015.