Final answer:
State ownership of the means of production does not always align with the public interest.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question poses the statement that 'History shows that state ownership of the means of production never ran counter to the public interest' and asks whether this statement is true or false.
In order to answer this question, it's important to note that state ownership of the means of production is a characteristic of public enterprise where the government owns and operates the factors of production. While there have been instances where state ownership has been beneficial to the public interest, there have also been instances where it has not. Therefore, the correct answer is B. False.