Definition

Proper noun A French economist and statesman who served as Controller-General of Finances under King Louis XVI from 1774 to 1776. He is known for his early advocacy of free-market economic principles and administrative reforms.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:
  • Turgot attempted to liberalize the grain trade in France.
  • The economic theories of Turgot influenced later classical economists.
  • Turgot's dismissal in 1776 was a setback for reform in the ancien régime.

Advanced Usage

• "Turgot's reforms": This phrase specifically refers to the series of edicts he issued, such as those aiming to abolish guilds and (forced labor) obligations, which sought to modernize the French economy.
  • The nobility strongly opposed Turgot's reforms.

Variants and Related Words

• Turgotian (adj): Pertaining to or characteristic of the economic ideas of Turgot.
  • His analysis followed a Turgotian line of thought.

Synonyms

• Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (full name)
• Physiocrat (as he was associated with this school of economic thought)
• Reformer (in the context of 18th-century France)

Related Phrases

• Turgot map: A historical, detailed street map of Paris produced in the 1730s, commissioned by Michel-Étienne Turgot, the father of Anne Robert Jacques Turgot. While related to the family name, it is not directly associated with the economist himself.

Noun

1. French economist who in 1774 was put in control of finances by Louis XVI; his proposals for reforms that involved abolishing feudal privileges made him unpopular with the aristocracy and in 1776 he was dismissed (1727-1781)