Editing Privatization (section)

=== Pre-20th century ===
The history of privatization dates from [[Ancient Greece]], when governments contracted out almost everything to the private sector.<ref name="handbook">''International Handbook on Privatization'' by David Parker, David S. Saal</ref> In the [[Roman Republic]] private individuals and companies performed the majority of services including tax collection ([[farm (revenue leasing)|tax farming]]), army supplies ([[defense contractor|military contractors]]), religious sacrifices and construction. However, the [[Roman Empire]] also created [[government-owned corporation|state-owned enterprises]]—for example, much of the grain was eventually produced on estates owned by the Emperor. David Parker and David S. Saal suggest that the cost of bureaucracy was one of the reasons for the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire|fall of the Roman Empire]].<ref name="handbook" />

Perhaps one of the first ideological movements towards privatization came during [[China]]'s golden age of the [[Han dynasty]]. [[Taoism]] came into prominence for the first time at a state level, and it advocated the [[laissez-faire]] principle of [[Wu wei]] (無為), literally meaning "do nothing".<ref>{{harvnb|Li|Zheng|2001|p=241}}{{full citation needed|date=March 2024}}</ref> The rulers were counseled by the Taoist clergy that a strong ruler was virtually invisible.

During the [[Renaissance]], most of Europe was still by and large following the [[feudal]] economic model. By contrast, the [[Ming dynasty]] in [[China]] began once more to practice privatization, especially with regards to their manufacturing industries. This was a reversal of the earlier [[Song dynasty]] policies, which had themselves overturned earlier policies in favor of more rigorous state control.<ref>Bouye, Thomas M., Manslaughter, markets, and moral economy</ref>

In Britain, the privatization of common lands is referred to as [[enclosure]] (in Scotland as the [[Lowland Clearances]] and the [[Highland Clearances]]). Significant privatizations of this nature occurred from 1760 to 1820, preceding the [[Industrial Revolution]] in that country.