[ovi256]

I think you mean history of generalized (applied to all products and services) price controls, especially in a planned economy. That definitely did not bring the hoped prosperity.

They seem to mean price controls for a limited number of essential goods and services, to ensure access to them for the least fortunate groups. Energy definitely seems to be part of this even in the most market-oriented societies.

One can look at cheap fossil fuels, and the unwillingness of Western governments to make them more expensive by integrating their negative pollution externalities into their consumer cost, as a sort of ad-hoc price control. Lots of social protests over living standards were triggered by increases in energy costs - the Gilets Jaunes in France for example.