What developing countries' past energy policies can tell us about energy issues today? Lessons from the expropriation of American Foreign and Power in Brazil (1959–1965)

• The paper deals with the final years of Amforp's history in Brazil (1959–1965).
• We examine the increasing role of the Brazilian State in the electric power sector.
• The paper shows that the Amforp's strategy was fundamental for its expropriation.
• The takeover of Amforp's assets occurred because intense pressure by Washington.
• History can provide insights to understand recent shortcomings in the energy sector.

This paper supports those who believe that history can provide invaluable insights for understanding recent shortcomings in the energy sector. Focussing on the political economy of Brazil's past energy policy, the paper analyzes how foreign companies, federal government, and international interests have shaped outcomes in the sector. For this, the expropriation of Amforp's in the Brazilian electric sector shows that what could be settled by a juridical agreement between the company and the government became an US–Brazilian diplomatic issue. The paper analyses these diplomatic agreements, showing how it changed the role played by the Brazilian state in the electric power sector.