'Oil as a weapon' results in the gas shortages of 1973 and '79. The tumultuous years 1971 through 1991 saw shifting power in the oil industry as OPEC commandeered the driver's seat, sparking a global search for new oil sources. Cheap oil fuels America's car culture and suburban sprawl. Italy's Enrico Mattei challenges the 'Seven Sisters.' Oil diplomacy in an increasingly volatile Middle East. Participants and historians discuss the wooing of Saudi Arabia's Ibn Saud, the creation of Aramco, and the postwar reality that petroleum is political. Mideast oil is declared the greatest prize in history, but a prize not easily won. The key but often overlooked role that oil played in World War II is examined and discussed by war veterans and military historians. 'Dad' Joiner and Doc Lloyd strike oil in east Texas, sparking a boom that brings government regulation to the industry. Five Percent' Gulbenkian, gatekeeper to Mideast oil. Standard Oil's Walter 'The Boss' Teagle squares off against Calouste 'Mr. Winston Churchill recognizes the strategic value of oil on the eve of World War I. Henri Deterding of Royal Dutch Petroleum and Marcus Samuel of Shell join forces and compete against Standard Oil. Muckraking journalist Ida Tarbell pulls back the curtain and reveals inconvenient truths about the robber baron. Rockefeller's Standard Oil grows into a monopoly.

The discovery of petroleum gives rise to a new global industry.

If you are interested in energy, business, history or politics I highly recommend you to read this fantastic book. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin is a fascinating and complete history of oil and it's impact on the world's biggest events.

The prize quest for oil money and power