A person or country that advocates for or practices free trade, allowing goods to be bought and sold across borders without tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions.
From 'free' (unrestricted) + 'trader' (merchant engaged in commerce). The term became prominent in 19th-century Britain during the Industrial Revolution when economists like Adam Smith and David Ricardo championed unrestricted international trade.
The great 19th-century debate between free traders and protectionists essentially shaped modern economics—free traders won philosophically, but protectionists proved correct about how free trade affects different workers and nations unequally.
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