Target age range: Key Stage 3

In the twentieth century, access to the Middle East’s oil was essential to the economic ambitions of Britain and the United States, leading to colonial interventions in the economies and politics of the region. For countries of the Middle East, foreign control over oil increasingly represented humiliation, and taking national control was a form of anti-colonial resistance. Through the dramatic story of oil, this enquiry explores the shifting balance of economic power in the Middle East, asking whether 1973 – the year of the Arab oil embargo – was the turning point at which power shifted from colonial to national control.

This enquiry was written by Alex Benger TFHA, History teacher at Chesterton Community College in Cambridge.

Every effort has been made to trace all image copyright holders and permissions in these resources, although occasionally it has not been possible to identify them. Please contact Maheema Chanrai at maheema.chanrai@history.org.uk with any queries.

Image: USAF aircraft of the 4th Fighter Wing (F-16, F-15C and F-15E) fly over Kuwaiti oil fires, set by the retreating Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Photo: US Air Force (public domain)