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Corn Laws

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Corn Law Petitions | Parliamentary Archives

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Richard Cobden calling for the repeal of the Corn Laws | What was the problem with the Corn Laws?

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Quickie: Corn Laws and the Potato Famine

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Anti-Corn Law League arguments and tactics

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The Corn Laws

The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and grain ("corn") enforced in Great Britain between 1815 and 1846. They were designed to keep grain prices high to favour domestic producers, and represented British mercantilism, since they were the only mercantilist laws of the country. The Corn Laws imposed steep import duties, making it too expensive to import grain from abroad, even when food supplies were short.