Uncover the surprising history of central banking’s active role in postwar economic planning. This crucial macroeconomic history reveals how France’s Banque de France controlled credit from 1948-1973, not as a passive body, but as a driver of growth by directing lending and stabilizing inflation. Understand how credit became a strategic tool for national objectives. Essential for economists, historians, and students of finance, its insights into credit policy evolution and lessons for emerging markets offer significant relevance for India’s economic discourse and development.