History of the Book

(The following is adapted from the Wikipedia article.)

Atlas Shrugged was written by Ayn Rand and published in 1957. She considered it to be her “magnum opus”, and it contains Rand’s most extensive statement about her philosophy of Objectivism.

Rand herself was born Alisa Rosenbaum, in 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia. She came to the United States in 1926, several years after Russia’s Communist Revolution which gave birth to the Soviet Union. She remained a fierce anti-Communist her entire life. Before becoming a successful writer, she worked in the film industry. She died in 1982 in New York City, at the age of 77.

The book explores a future dystopian United States, in which many of society’s wealthiest citizens choose to disappear rather than pay increasingly high taxes and submit to government which grows more and more authoritarian. Their disappearance cripples the nation, as these people shut down their vital industries, propelling the country into depression. The title refers to the Titan Atlas, who in Greek mythology was condemned by the Gods to hold up the sky. By “shrugging”, these men are refusing to support any longer the “looters” and “moochers” who have taken over the government.

The book itself received largely negative reviews after its original publication. However, it remained on the New York Times bestseller list for 22 consecutive weeks, peaking at #3 on December 8, 1957. It has achieved enduring popularity in the decades since then, and continues to be a favorite of conservatives and libertarians for its essential message that the best government is the one that governs least. The Atlas Society is an Objectivist think tank that continues to promote Rand’s ideas. In addition, a 3-part movie was published between 2011 and 2014. (As of this writing, the third part has not been released.)

Alan Greenspan, who was Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006, is one of its best-known adherents. He knew Rand personally, and was one of her acolytes in the 1950s. Through Greenspan and others, the book continues to have a very large effect on American economic policy.