Candlemakers' Petition

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The Candlemakers' Petition is a satiric article by the French classical-liberal politician Frederic Bastiat[wp]. It compares the advocates of protectionism, and of barriers in international free trade, to candlemakers wishing to outlaw windows so as to block out the "competition" to their industry provided by the sun.

It may also be read more broadly as an attack on the idea that one can effectively negate or alter market conditions by means of legislation, e.g., by providing economic subsidies to businesses that are struggling under changing market conditions.

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