» For the protectionist Australian political party from the 1880s to 1909, see Protectionist Party Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations, through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and to prevent foreign take-over of national companies. This is closely aligned with anti-globalization, and contrasts with free trade, where no artificial barriers… (More on Protectionism)