Contrary to popular belief, the automobile is not a twentieth-century invention. A steam-powered version of this vehicle was in use in Great Britain as early as the 1830s, and both steam- and petroleum-powered automobiles were operating in France and Germany by 1880. This volume traces the world political and economic forces that brought about the suppression of the first steam-powered carriage and the ultimate triumph of the gas-fueled automobile, which has played a crucial role in shaping the modern capitalist economy.