The club's membership was small—limited to about twenty men—but included some of the most influential minds of the 18th century:
It is often cited by historians, including those on Wikipedia , as one of the first independent organizations dedicated to public policy and current affairs. club de l'entresol
The club held weekly meetings. Unlike the rigid hierarchy of the Royal Court, discussions were relatively egalitarian. It functioned as a bridge between the aristocracy of birth and the aristocracy of talent (writers/philosophers). The club's membership was small—limited to about twenty
The club emerged during the , a period following the death of Louis XIV. The strict absolutism of the Sun King had loosened, leading to a thirst for intellectual freedom. The catastrophic collapse of John Law’s financial system (the Mississippi Bubble) in 1720 also created an urgent need for political and economic debate. It functioned as a bridge between the aristocracy