Editing Petroleum (section)

===20th century===
Access to oil was and still is a major factor in several military conflicts of the 20th century, including [[World War II]], during which oil facilities were a major strategic asset and were [[Oil Campaign chronology of World War II|extensively bombed]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baldwin |first=Hanson |title=Oil Strategy in World War II |url=http://www.oil150.com/essays/article?article_id=91 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815114446/http://www.oil150.com/essays/2007/08/oil-strategy-in-world-war-ii |archive-date=August 15, 2009 |website=oil150.com |publisher=American Petroleum Institute Quarterly – Centennial Issue |pages=10–11}}</ref> The [[German invasion of the Soviet Union]] included the goal to capture the [[Petroleum industry in Azerbaijan|Baku oilfields]], as it would provide much-needed oil supplies for the German military which was suffering from blockades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alakbarov |first=Farid |title=10.2 An Overview – Baku: City that Oil Built |url=http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_overview_alakbarov.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213083150/http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_overview_alakbarov.html |archive-date=December 13, 2010 |access-date=March 18, 2018 |website=azer.com}}</ref>

Oil exploration in North America during the early 20th century later led to the U.S. becoming the leading producer by mid-century. As petroleum production in the U.S. peaked during the 1960s, the United States was surpassed by [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[Soviet Union]] in total output.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Times |first=Christopher S. Wren Special to The New York |date=November 13, 1974 |title=Soviet Moves Ahead of U.S. in oil output. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/13/archives/soviet-moves-ahead-of-us-in-oil-output-minister-sees-mondale.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531155823/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/13/archives/soviet-moves-ahead-of-us-in-oil-output-minister-sees-mondale.html |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 12, 2018 |title=US expected to surpass Saudi Arabia, Russia as world's top oil producer |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2018/0712/US-expected-to-surpass-Saudi-Arabia-Russia-as-world-s-top-oil-producer |url-status=live |access-date=April 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516034628/https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2018/0712/US-expected-to-surpass-Saudi-Arabia-Russia-as-world-s-top-oil-producer |archive-date=May 16, 2020 |issn=0882-7729}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKEe6yC-IQcC&q=Annual+Energy+Review+1987&pg=PA252 |title=Annual Energy Review |date=1990 |publisher=The Administration |page=252 |language=en |access-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122221351/https://books.google.com/books?id=zKEe6yC-IQcC&q=Annual+Energy+Review+1987&pg=PA252 |archive-date=November 22, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In [[1973 oil crisis|1973]], Saudi Arabia and other [[Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries|Arab nations]] imposed an [[oil embargo]] against the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and other Western nations which supported [[Israel]] in the [[Yom Kippur War]] of October 1973.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 23, 1973 |title=The Arab Oil Threat |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/23/archives/the-arab-oil-threat.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722073135/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/23/archives/the-arab-oil-threat.html |archive-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref> The embargo caused an [[1973 oil crisis|oil crisis]]. This was followed by the [[1979 oil crisis]], which was caused by a drop in [[oil production]] in the wake of the [[Iranian Revolution]] and caused oil prices to more than double.