One Nation Under Copyright: Difference between revisions

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== Real Life ==

* The Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa. Aside from the usual practices of a maritime trading state, both cities also respectively specialized and profited from otherwise private enterprises like shipbuilding and banking. Pretty much anyone in government was either a merchant or a noble, although some posts required applicants to forgo all business practices for the duration of their office.

* The Italian city-states of [[Venice]] and Genoa. Aside from the usual practices of a maritime trading state, both cities also respectively specialized and profited from otherwise private enterprises like shipbuilding and banking. Pretty much anyone in government was either a merchant or a noble, although some posts required applicants to forgo all business practices for the duration of their office.

* The Honourable East India Company: Ran the British Empire's interests in India until the Mutiny of 1857 and thus, by a combination of bribery, alliances and superior competence - oh, and a private army larger than that of the ''Empire itself'' - controlled a substantial part of the subcontinent.

* The Honourable East India Company: Ran [[the British Empire]]'s interests in [[India]] until the Mutiny of 1857 and thus, by a combination of bribery, alliances and superior competence - oh, and a private army larger than that of the ''Empire itself'' - controlled a substantial part of the subcontinent.

** And their northern counterpart, the Hudson Bay Company, which ran much of what is now Canada and the USA.<ref>~~and~~ is ~~now~~ a chain of ~~mid-range~~ department stores.</ref>

** And their northern counterpart, the Hudson Bay Company, which ran much of what is now [[Canada]] and the USA.<ref>HBC is still in business, currently a chain of department stores that includes Saks Fifth Avenue.</ref>

** Their Russian counterpart, the Russian-American Company, owned and ruled Alaska.

** Their Russian counterpart, the Russian-American Company, owned and ruled [[Alaska]].

* Going eastward: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (known in English as the Dutch East India Company). The first stock-based, multinational corporation that controlled parts of Indonesia for almost 200 years. They had their own military, minted their own currency, and had the right to establish colonies, negotiate treaties, even wage wars! Their rule made an everlasting impression to locals even after they went bankrupt and the official Dutch government took over. So much that their legacy lives on to this day; the local word for colonial forces is still "Kompeni".

* Going eastward: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (known in English as the Dutch East India Company). The first stock-based, multinational corporation that controlled parts of [[Indonesia]] for almost 200 years. They had their own military, minted their own currency, and had the right to establish colonies, negotiate treaties, even wage wars! Their rule made an everlasting impression to locals even after they went bankrupt and the official Dutch government took over. So much that their legacy lives on to this day; the local word for colonial forces is still "Kompeni".

** In fact, the entire nation of Indonesia is essentially the Dutch East India Company's old territory plus sovereignty. It's currently the fourth most populous country in the world.

* The emirate of Dubai is run very much like a business enterprise based around tourism, trade, and finance.

* The emirate of [[Dubai]] is run very much like a business enterprise based around tourism, trade, and finance.

* [[Anarchy Is Chaos|Anarchists]] and left Marxists say that so-called "socialist" or "communist" states are nothing of the sort, instead terming both them and fascist regimes State Capitalist, because they become this. In fact, both Marx and Lenin ''admired'' large monopolistic business for increasing efficiency! Basically, they just did this with the state, coming at it by the opposite route. This seems true, because workers are for damn sure ''not'' in control of those states.

* In the USA in the 19th century, [[wikipedia:Company town|Company Towns]] were commonplace. They had their own money (chits) their own stores, and their own lenders, among numerous other things. Their excesses helped fuel the rise of Labor Unions. And inspired the song "Sixteen Tons" (with a part of the chorus going ''"St. Peter don't you call me/'Cause I can't go/I owe my soul/To the Company Store."'') They were forcibly publicized after one entire company town (Pullman, Illinois) disrupted pretty much the entire rail industry during its riotous strike.

* The old [[wikipedia:Belgian Congo|Congo Free State]]. The people of Belgium were adamantly -against- joining the imperialism game, so King Leopold pulled some strings to have the whole thing done as a private enterprise initiative, turning the land into private grounds with a captive workforce that took in chains, ammo and mercenaries and churned out ivory and corpses.

* The old [[wikipedia:Belgian Congo|Congo Free State]]. The people of [[Belgium]] were adamantly ''against'' joining the imperialism game, so King Leopold pulled some strings to have the whole thing done as a private enterprise initiative, turning the land into private grounds with a captive workforce that took in chains, ammo and mercenaries and churned out ivory and corpses.

* Interestingly the actual political concept of [[wikipedia:Corporatism|Corporatism]]—most notable for its association with fascism—is something completely different.

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