The Eden Treaty of 1786 reduced tariffs between Britain and France but favored Britain so heavily that French economic grievances contributed to the French Revolution.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 26 September 1786
- British negotiator
- William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland
- French negotiator
- Joseph Matthias Gérard de Rayneval
- Treaty collapsed
- 1793, following outbreak of war between Britain and France
- Key British influence
- Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and PM William Pitt the Younger
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The loss of Britain's thirteen American colonies reduced its trade base and prompted a reassessment of commercial policy. British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, strongly influenced by Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, sought to ease the prolonged economic hostility between Great Britain and France through a negotiated tariff agreement.
Signed on 26 September 1786, the Eden Treaty established a framework for reducing tariffs on goods traded between Great Britain and France, effectively suspending the economic war between the two nations. British obstinacy during negotiations resulted in terms largely favorable to Britain, leaving French industries exposed to unequal competition.
The treaty's asymmetric protections damaged French industry and commerce, deepening popular discontent. It is considered one of the economic grievances that helped ignite the French Revolution. The agreement ultimately collapsed in 1793 when the National Convention argued the British Aliens Act 1793 violated its terms, and the outbreak of war between the two countries ended any prospect of renewal.
Political Outcome
A bilateral tariff-reduction agreement was reached, briefly ending the economic war between Britain and France, but collapsed in 1793 amid war and treaty violations.
Ongoing economic war with high tariffs between Great Britain and France
Reduced tariffs heavily favoring Britain, weakening French industries and fueling social unrest