Question

What caused the Energy Crisis of 1973?

Answer 1

The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC (consisting of the Arab members of OPEC, plus Egypt, Syria and Tunisia) proclaimed an oil embargo.

Earlier that year, Egypt and Syria, with the support of other Arab nations, launched a surprise attack on Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. As Israel was vastly outnumbered, it went on full nuclear alert, loading warheads into planes and long-range missiles.[1] Based on this, the United States chose to re-supply Israel with arms and in response, OAPEC decided to "punish" the United States.[2] It lasted until March 1974.