Simon H.Johansen wrote:evilcat4000 wrote: Natianalizing coroporations is natural for them to maintain their grip on power. The Empire being a dictator ship is expected to follow such a policy.
While most dictatorships do this, I'm not sure whether Franco and Pinochet did this.
The Caudillo's early economic policy was essentially the original concept of National-Syndicalism, with state-approved, integrated syndicates (both labour and management were incorporated into the official trade union), and strong government oversight in the economy (especially in terms of mandating wage increases). He subsequently discarded this policy in favour of a more deregulated economy on the advice of "the Opus Dei technocrats".
Essentially, the Caudillo's first economic policy was in the hands of the original National-Syndicalists (the fascistic followers of
el Ausente, José Antonio Primo de Rivera), and consequently had a somewhat leftist leaning to it. Dissatisfied with their performance, he replaced them with more industrious and more rightist officials, who were members of Opus Dei (a secular Catholic personal prelature).
General Pinochet Ugarte, appropriately referred to as "the ultimate free-marketeer", ruthlessly suppressed leftist politico-economic elements ("the cancer of Communism"), dismantled tariff barriers and emphasised capitalism (especially private ownership). A more rightist authoritarian is difficult to imagine.
With regard to the economic policy of the Galactic Empire, it is in all probability either mercantilist, corporatist, or syndicalist, given the known closeness of relationships between the Imperial Government and certain corporations, such as Kuat Drive Yards and especially the Tagge Company; TaggeCo. is so closely affiliated with the Empire that Imperial armed forces (including stormtroopers) are regularly seconded to its direct command and control.
Note that "the Academy" is not a Governmental institution ("Darklighter" notwithstanding). First Mate Darklighter makes clear that he has graduated from the Academy, and has received his commission aboard the freighter
Rand Ecliptic, and that he has no desire to "wait for the Empire to conscript me into its service"; Skywalker subsequently remarks that after he graduates from the Academy, he "won't be drafted into the starfleet, that's for sure".
It appears that the Academy is decidedly not the Military Academy on Carida, or the Imperial Academy and its various campuses throughout the Empire. Rather, it appears to be more of a professional school for training space pilots and crewmen for serving in various mercantile fleets, and that the Empire may draft graduates into its own navies and starfleets.
The current story arc "Darklighter" in
Star Wars Empire implies that the Academy is more and more being controlled by the Empire, to the point that it trains its students to pilot Imperial fighter craft, and that they wear Imperial uniforms, and are even treated as midshipmen (Grand Moff Tarkin was the commencement speaker, and made some self-indulgent references to "world-shattering" changes to be made in the near future).
However, the superior evidence of the novelisation indicates that the Academy is not a part of the defence establishment, although its graduates may well be pressed into service in any event. It is possible that the Academy has the same relationship with the Empire as COMPNOR and TaggeCo. -- it is not officially part of the Government, but effectually functions as a part of it, anyway.
Publius