Rousseau

"Carlo was tall, handsome, popular and a fine horseman. He spoke French well, was familiar with the Enlightenment thought of Locke, Montesquieu, Hume, Rousseau and Hobbes, and wrote Voltairean essays sceptical of organized religion for private distribution.9"

"Rousseau’s beliefs that the state should have the power of life and death over its citizens, the right to prohibit frivolous luxuries and the duty to censor the theatre and opera.42"

"Boussac controls 93.39% of the Comptoir de l’industrie cotonnière and its 40 manufacturing subsidiaries; he holds 95% of the capital of Manufactures de Senones with their 30 subsidiaries, which are more focused on real estate and property. In contrast to a simple commercial structure — the C.I.C.-fabric department, the garment “subsidiaries” (Rousseau, Blainville, Tremblot-Matheron) and “Romanex” and “Jalla” — the legal maze of the 70 companies resembles a termite mound. Through its corridors and shafts transit accounting elements and a lot of money. The tax inspectors who were ordered to venture there have always admitted they got lost there {{id_0000}}{{id_00001}} And with them, the administrative attempts at “adjustments”! Starting in 1954, Boussac pushed concentration of decision-making to the maximum by removing the financial autonomy from all subsidiaries. Their liquid assets are “deposited” to the C.I.C. Alone at the top, Marcel Boussac sets and knows the costs and sale prices: “The balance sheets,” he said, “are for the bankers, the operating accounts are for the accountants, the cash flow is for the business leader!” And to call his chief accountant: “Make me a kitchen account: what’s in my cash drawer?”⁠"