Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
9
result(s) for
"Petroleum industry and trade Great Britain History 20th century."
Sort by:
Black gold : Britain and oil in the twentieth century
This book charts the story of the raw material that shaped the world's history in the twentieth century, and with it the development of modern Britain. Ranging from the first explorations, through oil-fuelled wars and environmental crises, this book examines the strategic, economic and social importance of oil. Until the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s, Britain had virtually no known oil reserves yet by the early twentieth century British companies were producing oil across the Middle East, Russia and America. How did that happen and why have British companies remained internationally important ever since? How have British domestic and foreign policies been dictated by oil? And how have the government and oil companies reacted to the growing importance of environmental issues? From Suez and the 1973 Arab oil embargo to the wrecking of the Torrey Canyon and climate change, this is a comprehensive survey of modern Britain, oil and world history.
eBook
Money, oil, and empire in the Middle East : sterling and postwar imperialism, 1944-1971
\"An important new political and economic history of the unravelling of the British Empire and its connection to the decline of sterling as a leading international currency. Analyzing events such as the 1951 Iranian oil nationalization crisis and the 1956 Suez crisis, Steven Galpern provides a new perspective on British imperialism in the Middle East by reframing British policy in the context of the government's postwar efforts to maintain the international prestige of the pound. He reveals the link that British officials made between the Middle Eastern oil trade and the strength of sterling and how this influenced government policy and strained relationships with the Middle East, the United States, and multinational oil firms. In so doing, this book draws revealing parallels between the British experience and that of the United States today and will be essential reading for scholars of the British empire, Middle East studies and economic history\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Black Gold
This book charts the story of the raw material that shaped the world's history in the twentieth century, and with it the development of modern Britain. Ranging from the first explorations, through oil-fuelled wars and environmental crises, this book examines the strategic, economic and social importance of oil. Until the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s, Britain had virtually no known oil reserves yet by the early twentieth century British companies were producing oil across the Middle East, Russia and America. How did that happen and why have British companies remained internationally important ever since? How have British domestic and foreign policies been dictated by oil? And how have the government and oil companies reacted to the growing importance of environmental issues? From Suez and the 1973 Arab oil embargo to the wrecking of the Torrey Canyon and climate change, this is a comprehensive survey of modern Britain, oil and world history.
Publication
Kuwait in the time of British Empire : time of treaty 1899-1961, time of oil 1913-1976
\"The prospect of a rail network from Berlin to the Gulf's shores built and operated by the Germans became a source of anxiety and political expediency for the British government. It intimidated them into signing a secret treaty in 1899 with the Sheik of Kuwait that lasted until 1961. The handwritten Treaty served both sides well; Kuwait survived as an entity and gave the British an edge in their protracted negotiations with the Germans, ultimately led to demise of one of most ambitious European projects, the Berlin-Bagdad Rail. The book covers two parallel and interrelated narratives: Kuwait's political and social history during the years of British quasi-protectorate and the story of Kuwait's oil from the first visit of the British oil specialties in 1913 to the early nationalization in 1976. The promise of immense wealth, once oil was struck, catalyzed the rivalry between the social and economic elements of the country and perhaps contributed to the breakout of the 1938-1939 disturbances. Britain's exclusive rights to Kuwait's oil fields bred a sense of complacency in their drive to secure an all-British oil concession ultimately was shared with the Americans after protracted political wrangling that involved Washington and London laced with its share of intrigue. The discovery of oil transformed the country in a single decade from rags to riches, but in the absence of financial discipline, the 1950s was infused with its share of corruption. In 1953, the Sheik accepted the British suggestion to form the first-ever global sovereign wealth to manage the growing surplus. The significance of Kuwait's sterling investment was described by the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, as \"the key to the economic life of Britain and of Europe\"\"--Page [4] of cover.
Book
Desert dispute
The struggle to delineate the boundaries of south-eastern Arabia can claim to be one of the longest running diplomatic disputes of the twentieth century, which has echoes to this day. This study, by the foremost authority on the subject, is an exhaustive one, based on thorough research in the relevant archives and direct experience of the dispute. As such it will be the standard reference work on this question for all who have an interest in the Gulf Arab states, their territorial origins and its effects on their increasing role in regional and world affairs.
eBook
Oil and the great powers : Britain and Germany, 1914 to 1945
The history of oil is a chapter in the story of Europe's geopolitical decline in the twentieth century. During the era of the two world wars, a lack of oil constrained Britain and Germany from exerting their considerable economic and military power independently. Both nations' efforts to restore the independence they had enjoyed during the Age of Coal backfired by inducing strategic over-extension, which served only to hasten their demise as great powers. 0Having fought World War I with oil imported from the United States, Britain was determined to avoid relying upon another great power for its energy needs ever again. Even before the Great War had ended, Whitehall implemented a strategy of developing alternative sources of oil under British control. Britain's key supplier would be the Middle East - already a region of vital importance to the British Empire - whose oil potential was still unproven. As it turned out, there was plenty of oil in the Middle East, but Italian hostility after 1935 threatened transit through the Mediterranean. A shortage of tankers ruled out re-routing shipments around Africa, forcing Britain to import oil from US-controlled sources in the Western Hemisphere and depleting its foreign exchange reserves. Even as war loomed in 1939, therefore, Britain's quest for independence from the United States had failed.0Germany was in an even worse position than Britain. It could not import oil from overseas in wartime due to the threat of blockade, while accumulating large stockpiles was impossible because of the economic and financial costs. The Third Reich went to war dependent on petroleum synthesized from coal, domestic crude oil, and overland imports, primarily from Romania. German leaders were confident, however, that they had enough oil to fight a series of short campaigns that would deliver to them the mastery of Europe.
Book
