Faisal bin Abdelaziz Al Saud
Faisal bin Abdelaziz Al Saud (1906-1975), King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975 who was seen as a major force behind using oil as a political weapon. For example, he led the 1973 oil embargo against the Western countries, the United States and the Netherlands in particular, which helped produce the first world oil price shock. He ruled in a period when the Arab oil exporting nations gained increasing control over the world oil market. He used oil revenues to drive industrialization, enhance the military power of Saudi Arabia, improve educational and medical facilities, and enhance the economic and political influence the royal family. In 1974 he was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. He was assassinated by his nephew on March 25, 1975 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Further Reading
King Faisal: The Man and His Vision (King Faisal Foundation]
On This Day, 1975: Saudi's King Faisal assassinated (BBC Online)
25th Anniversary of the 1973 Oil Embargo: Energy Trends Since the First Major U. S. Energy Crisis (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
