[turkishrevenge]

I should clarify. My emphasis should have been on issues of power, rather than size. Governments happen to be large institutions for sure, but the power to realize a breakup of monopolistic practice lies in the fact that the government possesses that which private industry does not: a standing army. What is a decree sans power? A government mandate only means anything because it has coercive capability.

Besides, historically speaking monopolies have existed in lieu of strong government regulation or involvement. Look at Germany in the late 19th-early 20th century, e.g. the Rhine-Westphalian Coal Syndicate or Bayer.