Vladimir Ilich Lenin's Commanding Heights

Vladimir Ilich Lenin, first leader of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic, is credited with creation of the term, “Commanding Heights.” This particular term is used to describe sectors of a nation’s economy which are deemed a necessity for the country’s survival; examples of this include electricity, mining, transportation, and perhaps the most important – petroleum. As societies around the world became more technological, the need for more efficient fuels began to rise. Due to this very specific need, petroleum became a necessity especially for the rapidly changing militaries of the world. The European Super Powers became dependent on petroleum in order to fuel their massive militaries – especially Imperial Germany and Britain during the …show more content…
Under Winston Churchill’s orders, the majority of the Royal Navy was to be converted from coal to oil. This was stressed by Admiral John Fisher who stated that oil-using ships were faster, provided better maneuverability, required less manpower, and permitted ships to carry more firepower without sacrificing mobility. Just as Germany, Britain had no natural source of petroleum for their newly created dreadnoughts. In order to counteract this problem, Charles Greenway of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company sought to serve Britain’s national interest. With Greenway and Churchill pushing for the British government to support the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, it allowed for Britain to secure oil for its country. Because of this cooperation, the British Royal Fleet was not crippled during World War One as the German war machine had. With a steady source of oil, the Royal Navy continued to dominate the seas. “Events thus proved Churchill and Fisher generally right in forcing the conversion of the Royal Navy to oil, for it did give the British fleet an overall advantage-greater range, greater speed, and faster