HIST 6382 (class number 23906): The History of Globalization: The Case of Oil

Professors: Joe Pratt, Robert Lifset

Time: Tuesday 5:30-8:30, SPRING 2008

Place: 520 Arnold Agnes Hall

 

Prof. Joe Pratt                                      Prof. Robert Lifset

Department of History                           Department of History

550 Agnes Arnold Hall                          664 Arnold Agnes Hall

Office Hours: by appointment                 Office Hours: by appointment

713-743-3088                                        832-671-4908

joepratt@comcast.net                            rdlifset@uh.edu

 

 

 

Introduction

In this course, we are using the case study of the oil industry to examine the economic, social, and political impact of globalization on various nations. In essence, this is a comparative history of oil-led development in the twentieth century in various regions of the world. We will begin with an overview of theories of export-led economic development and of the growth of the global oil industry. After an introductory section on the impact of oil on the U.S. and on Houston, we will then examine the impact of oil-led development in Latin America, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and western Africa. Throughout the course, we will attempt to build a comparative perspective on the impact of globalization.

 

Course Goals

This course will introduce students to the international history of oil in the 20^th century.

 

Course Requirements

Students are required to write one paper of approximately twenty pages (roughly 5000 words). Students should meet with either Professors Pratt or Lifset no later than Tuesday, February 26 to discuss their paper topic. Each student shall then make a short, un-graded, presentation to the class on their chosen paper topic. This presentation should include a one to two page prospectus that will be distributed during class. All student presentations will take place on Tuesday, March 4. The paper is due Tuesday, April 8. One rewrite will be permitted; rewrites are due no later than April 29 by 8pm. These due dates are absolute. There will be no extensions.

 

In addition, students are required to write five book reviews and assemble one annotated bibliography of at least five pages. Three of the book reviews and the bibliography must be completed by March 7. The first book review is due January 28.

 

After submitting a book review students will be expected to provide a short, un-graded, informal presentation of the book’s argument, evidence and persuasiveness. Students will choose what books to review (in consultation with the professor), but it is expected that reviews will be submitted in advance of the class that discusses the book’s subject.

 

The bibliography must be at least five pages in length on an energy history topic of the student’s choice.

 

Students are expected to arrive in class prepared to discuss the assigned reading.

 

Grading

The paper constitutes 50% of the final grade. Participation is worth 20% and the book reviews and bibliography are each worth 5%.

 

Absences and Late Work

Since this course meets for only fourteen sessions, more than two absences will result in being dropped from the class. Late work will be penalized one full grade per day late.

 

 

Schedule

 

Part I: Case Studies of the Impact of Oil before the 1970s

 

Week 1 January 15: An Introduction

 

Joseph Pratt, “A Mixed Blessing: Energy, Economic Growth, and Houston’s Environment,” 21-51

 

Michael Lewin Ross, “Does Oil Hinder Democracy?” World Politics, 53 (April 2001), 325-61

 

 

 

Week 2 January 22: Mexico: Globalization and Revolution (Diaz to Cardenas)

 

Myrna Santiago, The Ecology of Oil: Environment, Labor, and the Mexican Revolution, 1900-1938

 

Jonathan C. Brown, “Domestic Politics and Foreign Investment: British Development of Mexican Petroleum, 1889-1911” p. 387-416.

 

 

Week 3 January 29: Venezuela: The AD and Sowing the Petroleum?

 

Romulo Betancourt, Venezuela’s Oil and Politics

 

Jonathan C. Brown, “Why Foreign Oil Companies Shifted Their Production from Mexico to Venezuela during the 1920s” p. 362-385.

 

 

Week 4 February 5: Eastern Europe

 

*Alison Fleig Frank, Oil Empire: visions of prosperity in Austrian Galicia.

 

 

 

Week 5 February 12: Soviet Union: Fueling Communist Industrialization

 

Jennifer Considine and William Kerr, The Russian Oil Economy, chapters 1-6, pp. 1-234

 

Peter Odell. Oil and World Power, chapter 3, “Soviet Oil Development,” 44-65.

 

 

Week 6 February 19: Iran: The Response to Colonialism and the Race for Modernization

                       

*James H. Bamberg. British Petroleum and global oil, 1950-1975: The Challenge of Nationalism

                                                         

 

Week 7 February 26: Saudi Arabia: A Unique Case of Big Reserves, Small Population, ARAMCO

 

*Nathan J. Citino. From Arab nationalism to OPEC: Eisenhower, King Saud, and the making of U.S.-Saudi Relations

 

 

Week 8 March 4: The Oil Crisis of the 1970s

 

Fiona Venn, The Oil Crisis

 

Prospectus Presentation

 

 

Week 9 March 11: Western Africa

*Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Oil and Politics in the Gulf of Guinea

 

March 18: Spring Break

 

 

 

Part II: Oil and Globalization in the Age of Producer Nationalism

 

Week 10 March 25: The Modern Middle East

 

Amy Jaffe, Introduction and Summary Conclusions of “The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets” (20 pages)

 

Amy Jaffe and Jareer Elas, “Saudi Aramco: National Flagship with Global Responsibilities” (114 pages)

 

Amy Jaffe, “Iraq’s Oil Sector: Past, Present and Future” (61 pages)

 

Daniel Brumberg and Ariel I. Ahram “The National Iranian Oil Company in Iranian Politics” (85 pages)

 

(For a complete list of the papers that are available from this study of NOC’s see   http://www.rice.edu/energy/publications/nocs.html)

 

 

 

Week 11 April 1: Russia in a New Age of Nationalism

 

Jennifer Considine and William Kerr, The Russian Oil Economy, chapters 7-8, pp. 235-307

 

William Thompson, “A Frozen Venezuela? The Resource Curse and Russian Politics.” pp.189-212

 

Isabel Gorst, “Lukoil: Russia’s Largest Oil Company” (50 pages)

 

Nina Poussenkova, “Lord of the Rigs: Rosneft as a Mirror of Russia’s Evolution” (95 pages)

 

 

 

Week 12 April 8: China in a New Age of Nationalism

Robert E. Ebel. China’s Energy Future, pp. vii-85.

Steven W. Lewis, “Chinese NOC’s and World Energy Markets: CNPC, Sinopec and CNOOC” (87 pages)

 

Xiaojie Xu, “Chinese NOC’s Overseas Strategies: Background, Comparison and Remarks” (47 pages)

 

 

Week 13 April 15: Global Constraints on Oil’s Growth: Global Warming, Finance, Peak Oil

 

To be determined

 

Amy Jaffe and Ronald Soligo, “The International Oil Companies” (48 pages)

 

 

 

Week 14 April 22:  Oil and War

 

David Campbell, “The Biopolitics of Security: Oil, Empire, and the Sports Utility Vehicle.” p. 943-972.

 

Edward Morse, “The Battle for Energy Dominance”

 

Bulent Gokay, “’Pax Americana’ Is it all about Oil?”

 

(Readings with an * are available at the campus book store.)

  

 

Bibliography

 

*Bamberg, James H. British Petroleum and global oil, 1950-1975: The Challenge of Nationalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

 

Betancourt, Romulo. Venezuela’s Oil and Politics. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1979.

 

Brown, Jonathan C. “Domestic Politics and Foreign Investment: British Development of Mexican Petroleum, 1889-1911” The Business History Review, Vol. 61, No. 3. (Autumn, 1987), pp. 387-416.

 

Brown, Jonathan C. “Why Foreign Oil Companies Shifted Their Production from Mexico to Venezuela during the 1920s” The American Historical Review, Vol. 90, No. 2. (Apr., 1985), pp. 362-385.

 

Brumberg, Daniel and Ariel I. Ahram “The National Iranian Oil Company in Iranian Politics” in The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

 

Campbell, David. “The Biopolitics of Security: Oil, Empire, and the Sports Utility Vehicle.” American Quarterly. 57.3 (2005) 943-972.

 

*Citino, Nathan J. From Arab nationalism to OPEC: Eisenhower, King Saud, and the making of U.S.-Saudi Relations. 2002. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.

 

Considine, Jennifer I. and William A. Kerr. The Russian Oil Economy. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2002.

*de Oliveira, Ricardo Soares. Oil and Politics in the Gulf of Guinea, New York: Columbia University Press, 2007

Ebel, Robert E. China’s Energy Future, The Middle Kingdom Seeks Its Place in the Sun. Washington: The Center for Strategic and International Studies Press, 2005.

*Frank, Alison Fleig. Oil Empire: visions of prosperity in Austrian Galicia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005

 

Gokay, Bulent. “"Pax Americana." Is it all about Oil?” Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Aug. 2003, Vol. 5, Issue 1, p. 83-87

 

Gorst, Isabel. “Lukoil: Russia’s Largest Oil Company” The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

 

Jaffe, Amy. Introduction and Summary Conclusions of The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

 

Jaffe, Amy and Jareer Elas, “Saudi Aramco: National Flagship with Global Responsibilities” in The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

 

Jaffe, Amy and Ronald Soligo, “The International Oil Companies” in The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

 

Lewis, Steven W. “Chinese NOC’s and World Energy Markets: CNPC, Sinopec and CNOOC” in The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

 

Morse, Edward L. “The Battle for Energy Dominance” Foreign Affairs, Mar/Apr2002 Vol. 81, Issue 2.

 

Odell, Peter R. Oil and World Power, Background to the Oil Crisis. New York: Taplinger Publishing Company, 1974

 

Poussenkova, Nina. “Lord of the Rigs: Rosneft as a Mirror of Russia’s Evolution” in The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.

 

Pratt, Joseph, “A Mixed Blessing: Energy, Economic Growth, and Houston’s Environment” in Martin Melosi and Joseph Pratt (eds.) Energy Metropolis, An Environmental History of Houston and the Gulf Coast, 2007

 

Ross, Michael Lewin. “Does Oil Hinder Democracy?” World Politics, 53 (April 2001), 325-61

 

Santiago, Myrna. The Ecology of Oil: Environment, Labor, and the Mexican Revolution, 1900-1938. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

 

Thompson, William. “A Frozen Venezuela? The Resource Curse and Russian Politics.” In Robert Ellam ed., Russia’s Oil and Natural Gas, Bonanza or Curse? London: Anthem Press, 2006.

 

Venn, Fiona, The Oil Crisis. London: Longman, 2002.

 

Xu, Xiaojie. “Chinese NOC’s Overseas Strategies: Background, Comparison and Remarks” ” in The Changing Role of National Oil Companies In International Energy Markets. Baker Institute Policy Report, No. 35, April 2007. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University.