Question

Describe the history of trade negotiations of the 20th century.

Answer 1

Trade involves the transfer of goods or services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money.Trade union, also called labour union, association of workers in a particular trade, industry, or company, created for the purpose of securing improvements in pay, benefits, working conditions, or social and political status through collective bargaining. Trade unionism originated in the 19th century in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States.During the 20th century craft unions lost ground to industrial unions. This shift was both historic and controversial because the earliest unions had developed in order to represent skilled workers. These groups believed that unskilled workers were unsuitable for union organization.In 1935, for example, the AFL opposed attempts to organize the unskilled and ultimately expelled a small group of member unions that were attempting to do so. The expelled unions formed the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), which by 1941 had assured the success of industrial unionism by organizing the steel and automobile industries. When the AFL and the CIO merged in 1955, they represented between them some 15 million workers. At the same time, mass unions began appearing in Britain and several European countries, and before the end of the century the industrial unions—embracing large numbers of unskilled or semiskilled workers—were recognized as powerful negotiating forces.

The strength of the labour movement at any given moment has been linked to general economic conditions.In times of full employment and rising wages, unionism typically loses some of its appeal, particularly among younger workers.In the United States the labour movement was also adversely affected by the movement to implement so-called right-to-work laws, which generally prohibited the union shop, a formerly common clause of labour contracts that required workers to join, or pay service fees to, a union as a condition of employment. Right-to-work laws, which had been adopted in 28 states and the territory of Guam by the early 21st century, were promoted by economic libertarians, trade associations, and corporate-funded think tanks as necessary to protect the economic liberty of workers.

Now, If we consider the Timeline of International trade during 20 th century, we can point out some important events:

• The Great Depression was a major economic recession that ran from 1929 to the late 1930s. During this period, there was a great drop in trade and other economic indicators.The lack of free trade was considered by many as a principal cause of the depression causing stagnation and inflation
• During World War II, in 1944, 44 countries signed the Bretton Woods Agreement, intended to prevent national trade barriers, to avoid depressions.In 1946. the Bretton Woods system goes into effect.
• In 1947, 23 countries agree to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to rationalize trade among the nations.
• In Europe, six countries form the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951, the first international organisation to be based on the principles of supranationalism.
• The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is established in 1960 as a trade bloc-alternative by the Outer Seven European countries who did not join the EEC.
• The Zangger Committee is formed in 1971 to advise on the interpretation of nuclear goods in relation to international trade and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• 16 October 1973: OPEC raises the Saudi light crude export price, and mandate an export cut the next day, plus an Embargo on oil exports to nations allied with Israel in the course of the Yom Kippur War.
• 1 January 1994: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) takes effect.