But where 'long history' is concerned, everyone has a history of abusing virtually everyone else. If ever someone needs a proof of the evils of capitalism, they need only recall the robber barons, or sweatshops, or many other cases. However, running parallel to them, or far worse, the whole time, has been the various governments. Both also have a history of doing good things, and a history of basically being mediocre. If an individual industry is rotten, then yes, the government is a route to fixing it, but better through regulation than seizing control of the industry though what is essentially a blatant power grab. Laws, yes, annexation, no.