Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil

Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil

Carbon Democracy is one of the most concrete and compelling accounts of the great transformation that has shaped the modern world since the Industrial Revolution. Ever since humanity began to harness coal and oil as sources of energy, the pace of history accelerated dramatically. The developments of the last two centuries have surpassed, many times over, the achievements of previous human history. The impossible became possible, distant horizons were reached, and new frontiers were crossed.

Timothy Mitchell begins by explaining how the extraction and use of coal gave rise to the Industrial Revolution as we know it, creating the modern working class and laying the foundations of the welfare state. Unlike coal, however, oil is fluid: it requires less labor, is easier to transport, and its very fluidity disrupted the classical world of the Industrial Revolution.

As oil flowed, the map of the world was redrawn. Coups, wars, and authoritarian regimes were organized around the control of the oil fields of the Middle East. In this groundbreaking study, Mitchell traces the political and economic logic of the oil age, offering a powerful analysis of the forces that have shaped capitalism and the modern world in the twenty-first century.

Series: History

Dimensions: 13.5 × 21 cm

Page Count: 443

ISBN: 978-625-7005-53-1

Publication Year: October 2020

Translator: Fırat Berksun