Not really. Except if one confuses free trade and protection with planned vs market economy (which is a different distinction).
The big powers that profited most in the 20th century, weren't following free trade - they were colonial and post-colonial overlords, enforcing their trade deals and terms on lesser countries.
Free trade was OK for those big countries like the US, UK, France, Germany, etc they were running the shots, and were net top exporters themselvess...
And even at that, they themselves could not care less about "free trade" doctrines. Sponsoring your own country industries, using your political force to get global deals, subsidies, etc, were OK for the mid-20th/early 21st century, when they had done it.
When that changed, and their trade partners got increasingly bigger, "free trade" got too much for them and pressured their partners countries (like with the Plaza Accord).
Now that the US can't do the same to China (due to its sheer size and power), old globalization and free trade flag-bearers discovered suddenly that free trade might not be the "be all end all".
>Now that the US can't do the same to China (due to its sheer size and power), old globalization and free trade flag-bearers discovered suddenly that free trade might not be the "be all end all".
This is one of the main reason why US is fighting China.
The big powers that profited most in the 20th century, weren't following free trade - they were colonial and post-colonial overlords, enforcing their trade deals and terms on lesser countries.
Free trade was OK for those big countries like the US, UK, France, Germany, etc they were running the shots, and were net top exporters themselvess...
And even at that, they themselves could not care less about "free trade" doctrines. Sponsoring your own country industries, using your political force to get global deals, subsidies, etc, were OK for the mid-20th/early 21st century, when they had done it.
When that changed, and their trade partners got increasingly bigger, "free trade" got too much for them and pressured their partners countries (like with the Plaza Accord).
Now that the US can't do the same to China (due to its sheer size and power), old globalization and free trade flag-bearers discovered suddenly that free trade might not be the "be all end all".