TRADE WARS , when was the last Trade War in the USA . Only thing i remember was Harley Davidson taking the 'japs' to court over some clone motorcycles but i forget the details . And that was only a battle in 81 or thereabouts and i think that the 'japs' lost that battle . So when was the last trade war ??
1930's probably.
I don't think the term trade wars hardly even existed prior to that because protectionism was the rule and free trade was the exception. After WWII, the US as well as other nations began slowly dropping trade barriers which resulted in a 10 fold growth of the US economy. Protectionism preserves jobs in the protected industries but does not promote job growth. Today, 1 in every 5 jobs is dependent on imports and exports which has doubled in the last 20 years.
The problem is there's a loss of industrial jobs for less educated workers that pay middle class wages. Neither party really has a solution.
Obama provided less affordable HC than he could have, and even then these folks want jobs, not gummit handouts. But, that may be all there is ... beyond convenience stores and counter help.
The gop's pro growth policies probably will create jobs in urban areas - both high skilled and more service oriented - but if someone in Ohio wants one, they'll have to move to Pitt or Philly.