As we briefly recalled in the previous chapter, Turgot was the son of a prominent family that had distinguished itself in the upper ranks of the French civil service.

His father had been the provost of the merchants of Paris and his grandfather an intendant. After excelling in his studies, the youngest of the Turgot family aimed to reach at least those same heights. He first served for a time as maître des requêtes, meaning he was a liaison between the intendants and Versailles. It was a prestigious position, one for which he had to obtain a special age exemption, but Turgot aspired to more. The death of his mentor, Gournay, further encouraged him to aim higher, and he requested an appointment as intendant.

In 1759, he first applied for the intendancy of Grenoble, but it was denied. He was then offered the post of provost of the merchants in Lyon, which he declined. He requested the intendancy of Brittany, but that too was refused. Finally, in 1761, he was offered the intendancy of Limousin and, somewhat reluctantly, accepted. He wrote to Voltaire: "I have the misfortune of being an intendant", perhaps meaning: I have the misfortune of being intendant in Limousin.

In Limousin, the peasants were poor and lived in precarious conditions, especially regarding housing and food. The general level of education was extremely low. The few roads that existed were in a disastrous state.

Because the region was so poor, it was of no interest to the ministers. This gave Turgot the freedom to experiment with reforms. In Limousin, he pursued three major projects:

This was done by drawing lots, which led to fear and violence because of runaways; Turgot replaced these mandatory levies with paid volunteers.

These reforms were undeniably successful, and in July 1774, Turgot was appointed minister. Due to his lack of experience, the King first placed him at the Ministry of the Navy. The appointment amused many. Turgot himself admitted, "I know nothing about the Navy", and Voltaire remarked, "I don't think Turgot is any more of a sailor than I am".

Just a month later, however, Turgot was appointed Controller-General of Finances, effectively becoming France's economy and finance minister.

We know the letter in which he outlined his principles to Louis XVI: "No bankruptcy. No tax increases. No new loans". This philosophy, which critics today might label as pointless "rigor", was intended to save the monarchy.

Turgot prepared six royal edicts to reform the French economy.

It was the first—and one of the very last—times an economic expert was granted the freedom to reform his country's economy. Three of Turgot's edicts stand out: one abolished forced labor (corvées), another dissolved the trade guilds (corporations), and the third established free trade in grain.

Upon entering the ministry, Turgot knew he would face resistance from the privileged classes. "I will be feared, even hated, by most of the court and by all who seek favors", he told the King. The privileged soon united against him and brought about his dismissal from the office of Controller-General of Finances. Voltaire, who fully supported Turgot's reforms, wrote in his correspondence:

Since then, many have argued that France is a country impossible to reform. Turgot's failure seemed to confirm it: He had been prepared by half a century of liberal economic thought; he had the backing of Enlightenment philosophers; and the King himself, with absolute power, supported him.

In the end, the parlements and the privileged classes won out. All the King could do was privately lament: "I see now that only Monsieur Turgot and I care about the people."