The liberal entrepreneur after the 1929’s crisis

When it comes to explain the nature of the agents involved in production, 19thcentury economists, whether liberal or socialist, are unanimous, above all the workers and the entrepreneur. If workers have a certain knowledge of the work to be done, they must very often carry it out under the orders of the entrepreneur (Garnier, 1873). The latter must thus implement the means to carry out a production, it is the birth certificate of the industrial enterprise. In his Cours Complet d'Economie Politique (1840),Jean Baptiste Say returned to the figure of the entrepreneur. If the entrepreneur must learn the processes of the art he wants to practice, these processes are based on scientific knowledge. The entrepreneur can choose to know only a part of this knowledge, the one he absolutely needs, but he cannot avoid the scientific method, in this case, to know the laws that govern Political Economy: "The science that directs the operations of industry is therefore an essential part of the industrial faculties. Thus, we see little industry in nations where science is neglected "(Say, 1840, p. 44). However, scientific knowledge is not enough. Indeed, the usefulness of things cannot be reduced to the facts and laws that science discovers. Equally important is their application to human needs. Saying that it is a question of "appreciating, not only the physical needs of man, but his moral constitution, i. e. his morals, habits, tastes, the degree of civilization he enjoys, the religion he professes, because all these things influence these needs, and consequently the sacrifices to which he will resolve himself to satisfy them" (Say, 1840, p. 45). It is this art of production application that occupies a class of men that Say calls entrepreneurs industriels. Charles Dunoyer (1845), in his book De la liberté du travail, highlighted the important and necessary qualities of the entrepreneur... There is the most important of all, the genius of business, which is similar to the knowledge of the laws of Political Economy, "I unravel several very distinct faculties such as the ability to judge the level of demand or to know the needs of society, that of judging the level of demand and the needs of society" (Dunoyer, 1845, t II, p. 47) but also the genius of art which refers "to the practical knowledge of the craft, to theoretical notions, to the talent of applications, to the skill of manpower" (ibid). To these industrial qualities must be added moral qualities (a set of rules and habits which govern their conduct and which are of interest to society as a whole). The entrepreneur is therefore the principal agent of production, he or she is the one who dedicates all his or her time and leisure to it, dedicates his or her capital and that of others. It is therefore normal that they should be able to get income, profits, benefits or any other rewards from it. This counterpart of the risks incurred does not only depend on the qualities of the entrepreneur, it is also dependent on the environment in which entrepreneurs evolve (economic cycle), the degree of freedom they enjoy in their business, their relations with other economic agents, whether they are workers, consumers or the State (in particular a central planning) or their ability to cope with extreme situations (recession, crisis). In the paper that we propose, we would like to go back to a pivotal period in economic history, the one that refers to the post-crisis period of 1929. This period is all the more interesting because it refers to three experiences or models that have marked industrial capitalism: the renewal of liberalism, planism and corporatism. These three organizations of the economic system will lead entrepreneurs to reflect on the economic laws that govern their activity and on how to conduct their business in an environment where the power of monopolies and cartels collide, as well as a certain idea of free competition. We will place particular emphasis on the renewal of liberalism, embodied in French neoliberalism and German ordoliberalism. Entrepreneurs are at the forefront. They participate both in the reform of dogmas (Lippmann symposium, CIRL), seek to combat industrial concentrations and cartel policies (works by Louis Mario) and are the object of all the attention of the reformers (entrepreneurs' place in German ordoliberalism, Eucken, Röpke, Rustow).