Frédéric Bastiat

"The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else." 

Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850) was one of the leading advocates of free markets and free trade in the mid-19th century. He was inspired by the activities of Richard Cobden and the organization of the Anti-Corn Law League in Britain in the 1840s and tried to mimic their success in France. He subsequently published a series of articles attacking protectionism that brought him instant acclaim. In 1846 he established the Association of Free Trade in Paris and his own weekly newspaper. He waged a witty assault against socialists and protectionists.  He was an elected member of various French political bodies and opposed both protection and the rise of socialist ideas in these forums. His writings for a broader audience were very popular and were quickly translated and republished in the U.S. and throughout Europe. Bastiat wrote such classics as “The Law”, “What is Seen and What Is Not Seen”, "Petition of the Candlestick Makers", and "Economic Harmonies." The exact cause of his death is not known with certainty, but it is believed to have been due to complications from tuberculosis.  During the autumn of 1850, he was sent to Italy by his doctors and he first traveled to Pisa, then to Rome. On 24 December 1850, Bastiat called those with him to approach his bed and murmured twice the words "the truth" before he died at the age of 49.  He is buried in Rome, in the church: Saint Louis des Français.  His grave is in the floor very close to the Saint Louis (King Louis IX) memorial chapel. 

Pictured above: Mark A. Monoscalco (this website's author) visiting Frédéric Bastiat's grave in May of 2023.