section_path: History/Free trade
section_name: Free trade
paragraph_text: Free trade
  
  Free trade is a policy by which a government does not discriminate against imports or exports by applying tariffs or subsidies. This policy is also known as laissez-faire policy. This kind of policy does not necessarily imply because a country will then abandon all control and taxation of imports and exports.
  
  Free trade advanced further in the late 20th century and early 2000s: