This essay contests the traditional narrative of the gas revolution in the Netherlands. To illustrate the domestic roots of revolutionary change, the essay focuses on gas use in households. It identifies two phases of energy development before the natural gas revolution of 1959: a progressive nineteenth century, followed by stagnation in the twentieth century. It also argues that private decisions were responsible for the switch to gas. After the gas revolution, the position of the Netherlands changed from a relatively low to a relatively high level of household energy consumption.
DOI: doi.org/10.5282/rcc/6226
