George A. Gonzalez 
Energy, the Modern State, and the American World System 

In this provocative and original study, George A. Gonzalez argues that the relationship between energy and the state, as well as global politics, has become more and more deeply intertwined, reaching something of a crescendo with the global hegemony of
Pax Americana in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. He presents a clear and concise case for viewing the modern state as the collaborative and affirmative union of capitalism and political authority in a setting where energy resources, be it wind, coal, or oil, provide the basis for the relatively inexpensive projection of political power. More broadly, energy serves as the foundation of the modern economy and, because of this, a prime function of the modern state is ensuring access to cheap, reliable sources to power and grow the economy. Historically, energy is more of a zero-sum resource than capital, markets, labor, or technology, and thus is a greater source of geopolitical tension and violence. Energy politics, and by extension international politics is, moreover, shaped by domestic corporate elites, especially those within the United States.

Spis treści

Theoretical Overview

Preface



1. Energy and the Modern State



2. The Political Economy of Energy



3. Urban Sprawl in the U.S. and the Creation of the Hitler Regime



4. Urban Sprawl, the Great Depression, and the Start of World War II



5. U.S. Economic Elites, Nuclear Power, and Solar Energy



6. Global Oil Politics



7. Plutonium and U.S. Foreign Policy



Conclusion

Energy and the Global Order

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

O autorze

George A. Gonzalez is Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami and the author of many books, including
Energy and Empire: The Politics of Nuclear and Solar Power in the United States and
Energy and the Politics of the North Atlantic, both also published by SUNY Press.