It was proposed by Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, the Controller-General of Finances, and implemented via a forced lit de justice to compel the Parlement of Paris to register the edict on 12 March 1776.
Critics, including Turgot, argued that guilds restricted economic freedom, hindered innovation, and inflated consumer costs.
[2] The preamble of the Turgot Edict summarized these criticisms, emphasizing that guilds: These practices limited competition, discouraged technical innovation, and restricted the mobility of workers.
[4] The Turgot Edict abolished all guilds and declared:[3] All persons, of any rank or condition, including foreigners, may freely engage in any trade or profession throughout our kingdom, provided they declare their intent to the local police authorities.Key measures included: The edict faced significant resistance.
The guild system was permanently abolished by the Allarde Decree (March 1791) and the Le Chapelier Law (June 1791) during the French Revolution.