How did the Hawley-Smoot Tariff help spread the depression globally?
A.) European countries retaliated with their own protective tariffs.
B.) It drastically reduced the price of foreign goods.
C.) It caused American goods to flood European markets.*** my answer
D.) Americans responded to it by refusing to ship goods overseas.
To understand how the Hawley-Smoot Tariff helped spread the Great Depression globally, we need to analyze the options provided.
A.) European countries retaliated with their own protective tariffs.
This option suggests that European countries responded to the Hawley-Smoot Tariff by implementing their own protective tariffs. While it is true that some countries retaliated against the high US tariffs with their own measures, this alone was not a primary driver of the global spread of the Depression.
B.) It drastically reduced the price of foreign goods.
This option states that the Hawley-Smoot Tariff significantly lowered the prices of foreign goods. However, this is misleading. The tariff actually did the opposite by raising import duties on a wide range of goods, making them more expensive for US consumers.
C.) It caused American goods to flood European markets.
This option suggests that the Hawley-Smoot Tariff led to an overwhelming influx of American goods into European markets. This is the correct answer. The tariff increased trade barriers, leading to a decrease in international trade overall. As a result, American goods found it more difficult to be sold in foreign markets, including Europe. The reduction in American exports negatively impacted the global economy and contributed to the spread of the Depression.
D.) Americans responded to it by refusing to ship goods overseas.
This option implies that Americans responded to the Hawley-Smoot Tariff by refusing to ship goods internationally. While some American businesses may have faced difficulties due to the higher tariffs, it was primarily the reduction in foreign demand for American goods that exacerbated the global economic situation.
Therefore, option C is the most accurate answer as it correctly identifies how the Hawley-Smoot Tariff contributed to the global spread of the Depression by causing a surplus of American goods to flood European markets.