Le pétrole, entre enjeux économiques et enjeux politiques

This article analyses a major economic development which occurred at the end of the First World war. The use of oil as a commodity had many repercussions on industrial countries which were increasingly dependent on it for their supply. The trade of this precious fuel engendered new tensions between national spaces and fostered new international dynamics. This article exposes the mechanism of this change and the formulation of national and international policies in France. It allows us to grasp the strategic impact of oil, but also its role in a liberal transformation of the world economy. On the international scene, oil had diplomats worried. Governments now competed for access to supplies. On the national stage, liberal values are sidelined in favor of economic regulations. These are issues of international politics and security, of technology and industrial knowhow. They include private and public actors, on a national and an international level.