How Churchill Switched the Navy to Oil — and Made the Middle East Britain's Obsession

How Churchill Switched the Navy to ​Oil ​— and Made the Middle East Britain's Obsession. In 1911, Winston Churchill made one decision that satisfying changed the course ​of history. He switched the Royal Navy from coal to oil. ​It sounds simple. But that single fuel change made Britain permanently dependent on the ​Middle East, ​triggered the creation of what ​would ​become BP, redrawed borders across ​the Ottoman Empire, and set off ​a chain of coups, revolutions, and conflicts that ​are ​still burning today. This ​is the story of how a thirty-six-year-old politician's obsession with ​faster battleships led Britain to buy a controlling stake in a Persian oil company, carve ​up the Middle East after World War One, and eventually overthrow a democratically elected government ​in Iran — ​all to keep the oil flowing. From the Anglo-German naval arms race ​and the D'Arcy Concession to the ​Sykes-Picot Agreement ​and Operation Ajax, ​this video traces the direct line between Churchill's fuel switch and over ​a century of Western entanglement in the Middle East. The ​borders we argue about today were drawn to protect oil pipelines. The conflicts we see ​on the news tonight ​were ​set in motion over a ​hundred years ago. This is how it all started. If you enjoy deep dives ​into the ​hidden forces that shaped the modern world, subscribe and turn on notifications so ​you never miss a video. #churchill #oil #middleeast #britishempire #royalnavy ​#iran ​#geopolitics ​#history #imperialism #bp #coldwar #operationajax #mosaddegh #petroleumpolitics ​#wwi #wwii #ottomanempire ​#sykespicot #colonialism #oilindustry #navyhistory #persia #anglopersian #economics #powerstructures #worldhistory #documentary