the smoot-hawley tariff us dept. of state the smoot- hawley was more a consequence of the great depression than an initial cause. but while the tariff might not have caused the depression, it certainly did not make it any better. it provoked a storm of foreign responses and came to stand as a symbol of the "beggar-thy-neighbor" policies (policies designed to improve one's own lot at the expense of that of others) of the 1930s. such policies contributed to a drastic decline in international trade. for example, u. s. imports from europe declined from a 1929 high of $1,334 million to just $390 million in 1932, while u. s. exports to europe fell from $2,341 million in 1929 to $784 million in 1932. overall, world trade declined by some 66% between 1929 and 1934. more generally, smoot-hawley did nothing to foster trust and cooperation among nations during a perilous era in international relations use the preceding reading selection to answer the following question. which statement best describes us trade after the smoot-hawley act? question 5 options: u. s. imports increased but exports declined, creating an unfavorable trade balance. u. s. exports increased but imports declined, creating a favorable trade balance. u. s. imports and exports declined, creating less world trade. u. s. imports and exports increased, creating more w