First published 1993
Daniel Yergin traces how petroleum transformed the modern world across more than a century. Beginning with Pennsylvania's pioneering oil wells, he examines how the quest for black gold reshaped global economics and geopolitics. The narrative spans two world wars, showing how oil supplies determined military outcomes and national fates. Yergin demonstrates that controlling petroleum resources became synonymous with wielding international power. The story culminates with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Desert Storm operation, illustrating oil's continued role in modern conflicts. This sweeping account reveals how the twentieth century cannot be understood without grasping oil's central influence on world events. Yergin connects the dots between drilling technology, corporate empires, and the rise and fall of nations, showing readers how energy resources continue to drive human conflict and cooperation.
Genres: history, 20th-century, business, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: informative, sweeping, thought-provoking
Tropes: corporate-empires, historical-narrative, rise-and-fall-of-nations
Setting: Pennsylvania, Kuwait, Iraq
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
928 pages · Paperback · Free Press