Karl Ittmann

Karl Ittmann, a historian of the British Empire and retired professor, dives into the intricate world of the British imperial oil industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He reveals how British firms leveraged imperial resources to command a significant share of global oil, manipulating labor dynamics and racial hierarchies. Ittmann also discusses the entwined fates of oil and empire, highlighting the tensions created by worker exploitation, colonial nationalist movements, and the transformation of British geopolitical influence post-WWII.