Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil

Oil is a curse, it is often said, that condemns countries producing it to an existence defined by war, corruption and enormous inequality. Carbon Democracy tells a more complex story, arguing that no nation escapes political consequences of our collective dependence on oil. It shapes body politic both in regions such as Middle East, which rely upon revenues from oil production, and in places that have greatest demand for energy. Timothy Mitchell begins with history of coal power to tell a radical new story about rise of democracy. Coal was a source of energy so open to disruption that oligarchies in West became vulnerable for first time to mass demands for democracy. In mid-twentieth century, however,…