---
title: "Oil Crises — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The 1973 and 1979 oil crises were supply shocks tied to OPEC and the Middle East that pushed the U.S. toward a national energy policy under Carter. Key for Unit 8."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/oil-crises"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US History"
unit: "Unit 8"
---

# Oil Crises — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The Oil Crises were two major oil supply shocks in 1973 and 1979, driven by OPEC actions and Middle East conflicts, that caused gas shortages and price spikes in the U.S. and pushed the federal government to attempt a national energy policy (APUSH Topic 8.13, KC-8.1.I).

## What It Is

The Oil Crises were two moments in the 1970s when the United States suddenly couldn't count on cheap, abundant oil. In 1973, Arab members of OPEC embargoed oil shipments to the U.S. in response to American support for Israel in the [Yom Kippur War](/apush/key-terms/yom-kippur-war "fv-autolink"). Prices quadrupled, gas stations ran dry, and Americans waited in lines that wrapped around the block. In 1979, the Iranian Revolution disrupted supply again and triggered a second round of shortages and price spikes.

For [APUSH](/apush "fv-autolink"), the crises matter less as foreign policy trivia and more as a turning point in how Americans thought about energy and the environment. The CED frames it directly in KC-8.1.I, where ideological, military, and economic concerns shaped U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and the oil crises sparked attempts at creating a [national energy policy](/apush/unit-8/environment-natural-resources-1968-1980/study-guide/0t0VXJnMCn7QKI5gwV6X "fv-autolink"). President Carter pushed conservation, created the Department of Energy, and famously called the energy challenge the "moral equivalent of war." The crises exposed something uncomfortable. The entire postwar American lifestyle, from suburbs to highways to cars, ran on imported oil the U.S. didn't control.

## Why It Matters

This term lives in Topic 8.13 (The Environment and Natural Resources) in [Unit 8](/apush/unit-8 "fv-autolink"), supporting learning objective APUSH 8.13.A, which asks you to explain how and why environmental policies developed and changed from 1968 to 1980. The oil crises are the economic shock in that story. While environmental disasters fueled the [environmental movement](/apush/key-terms/environmental-movement "fv-autolink") (KC-8.2.II.D), the oil crises fueled energy policy specifically, and the two strands together explain the wave of federal action in the 1970s. The crises also tie into the Cold War theme of the unit, since they show how dependence on Middle Eastern oil pulled the U.S. deeper into the region for economic and strategic reasons. If you're building an argument about why the federal government's role expanded in the 1970s, the oil crises are prime evidence.

## Connections

### OPEC (Unit 8)

OPEC is the cartel that made the crises possible. When its Arab members cut off oil to the U.S. in 1973, they proved that countries outside the [superpower](/apush/unit-9/challenges-21st-century/study-guide/EXLLVyYPLInl4kY1shVW "fv-autolink") rivalry could squeeze the American economy. The oil crises are basically OPEC flexing its leverage.

### Environmental movement and the EPA (Unit 8)

The crises and the environmental movement ran on parallel tracks in the same decade. Pollution and accidents drove environmental regulation, while oil shortages drove energy policy, but both pushed the [federal government](/apush/key-terms/federal-government "fv-autolink") into new regulatory roles between 1968 and 1980. That's the exact shift APUSH 8.13.A asks you to explain.

### [Interstate Highway System (Unit 8)](/apush/key-terms/interstate-highway-system)

The [1950s](/apush/key-terms/1950s "fv-autolink") built an America that needed cheap gas. Interstates, suburbs, and car culture all assumed oil would stay abundant. The oil crises are the bill coming due, which is why a 1970s shock makes more sense when you connect it back to 1950s prosperity.

### [Dust Bowl (Unit 7)](/apush/key-terms/dust-bowl)

Both are useful for continuity arguments about Americans confronting the limits of natural resources. The Dust Bowl punished reckless land use in the 1930s; the oil crises punished energy dependence in the 1970s. In each case, environmental or resource crisis triggered new federal involvement.

## On the AP Exam

Multiple choice questions usually test the cause-and-effect chain rather than the event itself. Expect stems asking which president responded with a national energy policy (Carter), what that policy aimed to do (reduce dependence on foreign oil and promote conservation), and how 1970s energy policy differed from earlier conservation efforts (it was motivated by economic and national security concerns about foreign oil, not just protecting scenic land). No released FRQ has used "oil crises" verbatim, but the term is strong evidence for essays on 1970s domestic policy, the limits of postwar prosperity, or expanding federal regulation between 1968 and 1980. Use it to explain why energy policy emerged when it did, and pair it with environmental legislation to show two distinct pressures producing similar government responses.

## Oil Crises vs Energy Crisis

These overlap, and APUSH sources sometimes use them interchangeably, but there's a useful distinction. "Oil Crises" names the two specific supply shocks (1973 OPEC embargo and 1979 Iranian Revolution disruption), while "Energy Crisis" describes the broader 1970s condition those shocks created: shortages, inflation, gas lines, and the scramble for a national energy policy. Think of the oil crises as the events and the energy crisis as the era they produced.

## Key Takeaways

- The 1973 oil crisis began when Arab OPEC members embargoed oil to the U.S. over its support for Israel, and the 1979 crisis followed supply disruptions from the Iranian Revolution.
- Per KC-8.1.I, the oil crises sparked attempts at creating a national energy policy, including Carter's conservation push and the creation of the Department of Energy in 1977.
- The crises revealed how dependent postwar America's car-and-suburb lifestyle had become on foreign oil, turning energy into a national security issue.
- Unlike earlier conservation efforts focused on protecting land, 1970s energy policy was driven by economic concerns and dependence on imported oil.
- The oil crises and the environmental movement together explain the surge of federal regulation between 1968 and 1980, which is the core of learning objective APUSH 8.13.A.

## FAQs

### What were the Oil Crises in APUSH?

They were two 1970s supply shocks: the 1973 OPEC embargo after the Yom Kippur War and the 1979 disruption following the Iranian Revolution. Both caused gas shortages and price spikes in the U.S. and pushed the federal government toward a national energy policy.

### Did the oil crises happen because the U.S. ran out of oil?

No. The U.S. didn't run out of oil; foreign suppliers cut it off. Arab OPEC members embargoed shipments in 1973 for political reasons, and the Iranian Revolution disrupted supply in 1979. The crises were about dependence on imported oil, not depletion.

### Which president created a national energy policy in response to the oil crises?

Jimmy Carter. He created the Department of Energy in 1977, promoted conservation, and pushed energy independence as a national priority. This is a frequent multiple choice answer for Topic 8.13.

### What's the difference between the oil crises and the energy crisis?

The oil crises were the two specific supply shocks in 1973 and 1979. The energy crisis was the broader 1970s condition they created, including shortages, gas lines, and inflation. On the exam, both point to the same policy outcome: attempts at a national energy policy.

### How are the oil crises connected to the environmental movement?

They're parallel pressures in the same decade. Pollution and accidents drove environmental laws and the EPA, while the oil crises drove energy policy. Together they explain why federal regulation of the environment and natural resources expanded between 1968 and 1980.

## Related Study Guides

- [8.13 The Environment and Natural Resources ](/apush/unit-8/environment-natural-resources-1968-1980/study-guide/0t0VXJnMCn7QKI5gwV6X)

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