Editing Protectionism (section)

=== Armed conflicts ===
{{See also|Opium Wars|Capitalist peace}}
[[File:Opium imports into China 1650-1880 EN.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|Graph showing the increase in Chinese opium imports by year]]
Protectionism has been attributed as a major cause of war. Proponents of this theory point to the constant warfare in the 17th and 18th centuries among European countries whose governments were predominantly [[mercantilism|mercantilist]] and protectionist, the [[American Revolution]], which came about ostensibly due to British tariffs and taxes. According to a slogan of [[Frédéric Bastiat]] (1801–1850), "When goods cannot cross borders, armies will."<ref>DiLorenzo, T. J., ''Frederic Bastiat (1801–1850): Between the French and Marginalist Revolutions''. accessed at [https://mises.org/page/1447/Biography-of-Frederic-Bastiat-18011850 &#91;Ludwig Von Mises Institute&#93; 2012-04-13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913235907/https://mises.org/page/1447/Biography-of-Frederic-Bastiat-18011850 |date=13 September 2014 }}</ref>

On the other hand, archaeologist [[Lawrence H. Keeley]] argues in his book [[War Before Civilization]] that disputes between trading partners escalate to war more frequently than disputes between nations that don't trade much with each other.<ref>{{Cite book|title=War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage Reprint Edition|first1=Lawrence|last1=Keeley| date=6 February 1996 | publisher=Oxford University Press, USA | isbn=0195119126 }}</ref> The [[Opium Wars]] were fought between the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]]{{efn|[[Second French Empire|France]] also fought on the side of the UK in the [[Second Opium War]].}} and [[Qing dynasty|China]] over the right of British merchants to engage in the free trade of [[opium]]. For many opium users, what started as recreation soon became a punishing addiction: many people who stopped ingesting opium suffered chills, nausea, and cramps, and sometimes died from withdrawal. Once addicted, people would often do almost anything to continue to get access to the drug.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asiapacificcurriculum.ca/learning-module/opium-wars-china|title=The Opium Wars in China|first=Asia Pacific Foundation of|last=Canada|website=Asia Pacific Curriculum}}</ref>

[[Barbara Tuchman]] says both European intellectuals and leaders overestimated the power of [[free trade]] on the eve of [[World War I]]. They believed that the interconnectedness of European nations through trade would stop a continent-wide war from breaking out, as the economic consequences would be too great. However, the assumption proved incorrect. For example, Tuchman noted that [[Helmuth von Moltke the Younger]], when warned of such consequences, refused to even consider them in his plans, arguing he was a "soldier," not an "economist."<ref>{{cite news |last=Yardley|first=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan Yardley| title = Jonathan Yardley Reviews 'The Proud Tower,' by Barbara Tuchman | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/15/AR2009031502277_pf.html | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | date = March 16, 2009 }}</ref>