Corn Laws were enforced in Britain from the 1400’s to 1846 to control the price of grains, called corn by the British. The laws protected British grain producers from foreign competition. The Corn Laws usually balanced the interests of producers with those of consumers. For example, as the population grew in the 1700’s, grain imports were permitted if prices rose too high.
During the Napoleonic Wars (1796-1815), the British banned grain imports, and landowners made huge profits. After the wars ended, new Corn Laws kept grain prices high. The Anti-Corn Law League, a group of merchants and manufacturers, wanted the laws repealed. Bread was so expensive that many people could not afford products made by British factories. Parliament repealed the Corn Laws in 1846. British agriculture then declined, but British industry grew.
See also Cobden, Richard; Peel, Sir Robert.
