The central point that Bastiat was trying to make in his imaginary petition of…

The central point that Bastiat was trying to make in his imaginary petition of the candlemakers is that protectionism will eventually destroy the industry you are trying to protect. Protectionist measures are sometimes the only way to ensure continued production. Forces create competitive challenges for firms and industries, but these do not justify the imposition of protectionist measures. When protecting an industry, you can often save many others.