The Ayatollah Khomeini was sent into exile in France by the Shah Pahlavi. The Shah’s government came under pressure by Iranian Islamists. The Carter Administration was convinced the Ayatollah could return to the country and be a “peaceful spiritual leader” that would help alleviate tensions. Khomeini promised he would not attempt to take over the country. This turned out to be false. The result was the current theocracy and the removal of Iran from the list of Western allies.
The National Iranian Oil Company was confiscated by the government and became the sole oil producing company in the nation. It is currently operated by the Islamic government and exports approximately $85 billion in oil a year.
Saddam Hussein became a hero during a failed attempt to assassinate General Abd al-Karim Quasim. The official story made him out to be the one who saved the would be assassins and their Ba’athist Organization with quick thinking and firm leadership. Accounts of men who participated said Saddam’s premature firing is what caused the operation to fail. 6 of the men were sentenced to death but the executions did not take place.
Hussein escaped to Syria and later lived in Egypt. He returned in 1968 to take part in a bloodless coup. His role was insignificant except for in official records of the incident. He rose to become a military strong man and de facto leader. He nationalized the oil industry under the Iraqi National Oil Company in 1972. He became the official leader of Iraq in 1979 in the office of Prime Minister. Under Hussein Iraq was no longer a US ally but one of the Soviet Union.
Hugo Chavez was a socialist dictator of Venezuela. Hugo Chavez was born to a family of moderate means. He attended the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences and received a commission in the Venezuelan Army. While on a counter insurgency mission against Marxist rebels he confiscated some of their literature.
He started a socialist group of Army officers (MBR-200). They attempted a coup on 4 February 1992 and Chavez was arrested. He only spent about 2 years in prison. His time in prison turned him into a rock star to the poor and working class people of Venezuela. After he was released he began touring the country and promoting his socialist politics. Leading to his successful run for president in 2002; changing Venezuela from a US ally to an ally of Iran.
Venezuela was the 5th largest oil producing nation in the world and a member of OPEC. Chavez forced foreign oil companies to sell a majority stake in their business to state owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. He fired the board of directors and replaced them with political allies and friends. Their salaries were raised. The company became unprofitable due to lack of experience severely damaging Venezuela’s economy. Many workers quit or were fired when they were required to be Chavez supporters to continue or begin employment. 80% of the workers quit when Chavez’s successor, Nicolas Maduro, put the company under military control.
Related:
- Manuel Noriega Wikipedia
- Manuel Noriega
Marxists don’t want to destroy oil companies or other major businesses; they want to take them for themselves.
Nationalization is only transitioning to a Marxist society.
Marxists do want to set up profitable collectives but they always fail. But they just keep repeating their experiments.
Nationalization is the transition from loyalty to a King to loyalty to one’s nation. It is not a bad thing. Calling oneself a “nationalist” has no meaning when one is a tyrant (king) anyway. The whole thing is a lie.
Communism originated in the 4th century BC. A king from the region now known as India decided to abolish private ownership of business and make them his own, ie controlled by the state. In this way his wealth would not be challenged. It is no different than feudalism where the benefits of labor are confiscated by use of the lord of the manor. Stalin didn’t stand in line for cheese and his weekly ration of vodka.
Nationalization often began with a good intention. Then the control of the corporation falls into the hands of some power hungry political mob. These people then use the corporations as their own home bases. The corporations then cease to serve their original purposes.