Corn Laws

Corn Laws
n.
in England, certain laws imposing heavy duties on the importation of grain, repealed in 1846

* * *

n [pl]
a set of British laws, first introduced in the Middle Ages, which controlled the import and export of grain in order to protect the price of British wheat. They were unpopular in the 19th century when there was a shortage of wheat and the laws were keeping the prices high. Many Members of Parliament owned agricultural land and made large profits from these high prices. In 1846, under pressure from the Anti-Corn Law League, the government changed the laws.

* * *

Any of the regulations governing the import and export of grain (called corn by the English) in Britain.

Records mention the imposition of Corn Laws as early as the 12th century. They became politically important in the late 18th and early 19th century, during the grain shortage caused by Britain's growing population, bad harvests, and the blockades imposed in the Napoleonic Wars. When Sir Robert Peel became prime minister the laws were finally repealed (1846). See also Anti-Corn Law League.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Corn laws — Les Corn Laws étaient une série de textes réglementaires adoptés au Royaume Uni entre 1773 et 1815 pour encadrer le commerce des céréales. On désigne cependant le plus souvent par ce terme le dernier de ces textes, le Corn Law Act de 1815, qui… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Corn laws — Corn Corn, n. [AS. corn; akin to OS. korn, D. koren, G., Dan., Sw., & Icel. korn, Goth. ka[ u]rn, L. granum, Russ. zerno. Cf. {Grain}, {Kernel}.] 1. A single seed of certain plants, as wheat, rye, barley, and maize; a grain. [1913 Webster] 2. The …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Corn Laws — Corn Laws, the laws in Britain in the 19th century controlling the price of foreign corn, and making it more expensive than corn produced in Britain. This protected British farmers from competition, but hurt the ordinary people, and after much… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Corn Laws — n. in England, certain laws imposing heavy duties on the importation of grain, repealed in 1846 …   English World dictionary

  • Corn Laws — Meeting de l Anti Corn Law League en 1846 Les Corn Laws étaient une série de textes réglementaires adoptés au Royaume Uni entre 1773 et 1815 pour encadrer le commerce des céréales avec l étranger. On désigne cependant le plus souvent par ce terme …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Corn Laws — This article is about British Corn Laws. For the British Canadian trading act, see Canada Corn Act. The Corn Laws were trade barriers designed to protect cereal[1] producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition… …   Wikipedia

  • Corn Laws — Las Corn Laws fueron aranceles a la importación para apoyar los precios del grano británico doméstico contra la competencia de importaciones extranjeras más baratas, mismos que estuvieron vigentes entre 1815 y 1846. En este uso y a lo largo de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Corn Laws — (1804, 1815)    British statutes that controlled the import and export of grains, the word corn being commonly used to denote a variety of basic food grains. The effect of the tariff on imports was to raise the price of food, but the 1804 law did …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

  • Corn Laws — Die Corn Laws (dt. Korngesetze) waren Gesetze im Großbritannien des 19. Jahrhunderts, mit denen durch hohe Einfuhrzölle und Einfuhrverbote auf Getreide die einheimische Landwirtschaft protegiert wurde. Die Gesetze wurden eingeführt, nachdem durch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • corn laws — A species of protective tariff formerly in existence in England, imposing import duties on various kinds of grain. The corn laws were abolished in 1846 …   Black's law dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”