Frederic Bastiat was an economist and essayist who lived and wrote in France in the early 1800's. He came to prominence at the age of 43 because of his satirical takedown of producers who were arguing for tariffs and other protectionist measures in trade with England, pointing out that the true effect of protectionism is mostly to transfer money from domestic consumers to domestic producers. His career took off and he went on to write about broader issues in law and economics, arguing that the only legitimate role of government is the protection of life, liberty and property. He was working on his magnum opus, Economic Harmony, unfinished at the time of his death at age 49, in which he was arguing that harmony would naturally emerge under a laissez faire system, and that efforts by government to plan and regulate led to conflict.
