Oil Energy Crisis of the 1970’s- Politics in the 1970's

            While the consumption of oil was on an incline in the 1970’s, the production of it was on a downfall.  People believe in one or two causes: “the Arab oil embargo and overconsumption of oil over flawed energy policies” ("The 1970’s energy," ).

The United States was resupplying Israel after the Arab-Israeli war, the Yom Kippur War. Anger arose through the Arabs and they cut the amount of oil production and put an embargo on the shipments going to the United States in 1973. Three months after the embargo starting, gas prices rose from three dollars to a whopping twelve dollars per barrel. This was a problem for the U.S. because it consumes three-fifths of what is imported, and sparked the energy crisis. Although the embargo only lasted six months, it had a huge affect on America as the oil prices remained high and its effects were long-term.

 This caused a price hike for Americans as well as shortages nationwide. Long lines were formed at gas stations and they were also forced to close on Sundays. Some gas stations had to close altogether. People were also asked to refrain from putting up Christmas lights to conserve energy. People began to realize that oil was a non-renewable resource. Americans began to look for domestic oil rather than relying so heavily and remaining dependent on imported oil. Gas rationing and controls over the price stayed throughout the decade. In addition, the nation enforced national speed limits. In 1974-1975, there was a year-round daylight saving time.

The crisis had a big impact on the automotive industry. Americans were producing big cars that used a lot of gas. Now that gas was so expensive, the competition grew greatly with Japanese and European, fuel-efficient cars. This put another damper on the American economy. Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPAEC) began to control our economy.

Environmentalism gained a big voice during this time, people began to take this idea seriously and it reached new heights. Earth Day, for example, was widely celebrated. People began to look for alternative energy sources such as the following: solar energy, wind and tidal power, ocean thermal conversion, biomass, geothermal energy, conversion of coal into gas, extraction of oil from tar sands,  as well as others. The energy crisis developed a social awareness, and conservation became a daily practice of many Americans.  Not only to be environmentally friendly, but also to save money.