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The following thesis explores the development of oil and gas resources in the province of Alberta between 1971 and 1985. At its broadest, this thesis uses the interaction of government, capital, and citizenry surrounding the exploitation of a non-renewable energy resource to examine the social side of resource development. These three actors approached oil and gas resources with their own ideologies, tactics, and goals. The relationships, disagreements, and debates between and among these groups provide a glimpse into the social nature of resource development in Alberta. They illustrate competing understandings of resource development on the part of Alberta citizens, demonstrate cleavages between citizens and elected officials, and lay bare the politics of resource development in Alberta that marginalized, manipulated, and devalued the meaningful participation of its citizens.