"The Corn Laws" An interesting documentation of the effects of protectionism vs free trade.
The farmers and the consumers struggled to survive (afford to eat) while the "middlemen" raked in the profit.
Corn Laws - WikipediaThe Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word corn in British English denoted all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley.[1] They were designed to keep corn prices high to favour domestic producers, and represented British mercantilism.[a] Th...