This in-depth study by the late Charles Freedman is a logical and chronological sequel to his earlier Joint Stock Enterprise in France 1807-1867: From Privileged Company to Modern Corporation, which was widely acclaimed and is now regarded as the definitive work on the subject. In this new book Freedman describes the rapid spread of the corporate form of organisation after the law of 1867 allowing the establishment of corporations without government authorisation, and he details the ensuing debates over attempts to `reform' that law, both by making it more restrictive and more liberal. Consideration is also given to the controversies over the role of foreign investment in the French economy, the structure of the banking system and its role in domestic and industrial finance, and the growth of industrial concentration.