Wordsmith.org
all I can find on etymology is French, 1950s.

Does anyone have an idea?
French, from diriger to direct (from Latin dirigere)

from M-W online, via OneLook
Also dirigir in Spanish, from the same Latin root. To direct or guide.
Would have guessed a French translation for a belief in flying in airships.
Dirigisme, as several correctly identified, is linked to director, diriger, dirigir, drive or lead. It is a word frequently used within the left organizations and some religious ones in Spain to define people from the "nomenclature" or "apparatchicks" that want to control and lead even the simplest activities of a group. So it is a negative qualificative meaning word. Surprised that doubts arouse about this word, when one considers that more than 60% of english word come from latin. May be anglosaxons are more latino than they realize !
Originally Posted By: Jose Gros
Dirigisme, as several correctly identified, is linked to director, diriger, dirigir, drive or lead. It is a word frequently used within the left organizations and some religious ones in Spain to define people from the "nomenklature" , "apparatchicks" or "deus ex machina" that want to control and lead even the simplest activities of a group. So it is a negative qualificative meaning word. Surprised that doubts arouse about this word, when one considers that more than 60% of english words come from latin. May be anglosaxons are more latino than they realize !
From Trésor

DIRIGISME, subst. masc.
Doctrine politico-économique préconisant l'intervention de l'État dans la libre entreprise (directives de production, contrôle des prix de vente, du crédit, etc.) :

Political-economical doctrin etc.

Prononc. : [diʀiʒism]. Étymol. et Hist. 1941 (M. Déat ds L'Œuvre, 21 févr.). Dér. du rad. de diriger*; suff. -isme*. Fréq. abs. littér. : 1. Bbg. Dub. Dér. 1962, p. 35. − Glättli (H.). Vox rom. 1952, t. 12, p. 388.

When you look up the Etymology of diriger in Trésor you get this:

DIRIGER, verbe trans.

Étymol. et Hist. 1. 1381 « faire aller dans un certain sens (ici fig.) » (Le Grand schisme, 6 ds Romania, t. 24, p. 211); 2. 1495 « conduire d'après certaines règles » (Jeh. de Vignay, Mir. hist., XXVII, 58, éd. 1531 ds R. Hist. litt. Fr., t. 10, 1903, p. 327); 1611 (Cotgr.); spéc. 1656 casuistique diriger l'intention (Pascal, Provinciales, éd. L. Lafuma, 7e lettre, p. 397 b); 3. 1690 diriger la conscience, les études (Fur.); 1900 part. prés. subst. pol. « personnage qui dirige » (Nouv. Lar. ill.).
Empr. au lat. class. dirigere from classical latin dirigere.DIRIGER, verbe trans.

« donner une direction déterminée » et « régler ».
Originally Posted By: Jose Gros
Dirigisme, as several correctly identified, is linked to director, diriger, dirigir, drive or lead. It is a word frequently used within the left organizations and some religious ones in Spain to define people from the "nomenclature" or "apparatchicks" that want to control and lead even the simplest activities of a group. So it is a negative qualificative meaning word. Surprised that doubts arouse about this word, when one considers that more than 60% of english word come from latin. May be anglosaxons are more latino than they realize !

Oh, this from an ascerbic,diffident,soul. May be that latinos are more simian than they want to admit.
© Wordsmith.org