Aside from the United States, most countries are referred to as 'People's States' that are implied to be either socialist or communist. There is very little mention of historical people or events, not even major events such as World War II. Many early 20th-century technologies are available, but later technologies such as jet planes and computers are largely absent. Both the social customs and the level of technology remind one of the 1950s'. The pattern of industrial organization appears to be that of the late 1800s-the mood seems to be close to that of the depression-era 1930s. Writer Edward Younkins said, 'The story may be simultaneously described as anachronistic and timeless. The US appears to be approaching an economic collapse, with widespread shortages, business failures, and decreased productivity. After several unsuccessful attempts to adapt the novel for film or television, a film trilogy based on it was released from 2011 to 2014, and two theatrical adaptations have been staged.Ītlas Shrugged is set in a dystopian United States at an unspecified time, in which the country has a 'National Legislature' instead of Congress and a 'Head of State' instead of a President. The novel has been cited as an influence on a variety of libertarian and conservative thinkers and politicians. The novel ends with the strikers planning to build a new capitalist society based on Galt's philosophy.Ītlas Shrugged received largely negative reviews, but achieved enduring popularity and ongoing sales in the following decades. They discover that a mysterious figure called John Galt is persuading other business leaders to abandon their companies and disappear as a strike of productive individuals against the looters.

Railroad executive Dagny Taggart and her lover, steel magnate Hank Rearden, struggle against 'looters' who want to exploit their productivity. The book depicts a dystopian United States in which private businesses suffer under increasingly burdensome laws and regulations. The book explores a number of philosophical themes from which Rand would subsequently develop Objectivism, including reason, property rights, individualism, libertarianism and capitalism, and depicts what Rand saw as the failures of governmental coercion. Rand described the theme of Atlas Shrugged as 'the role of man's mind in existence'. Atlas Shrugged includes elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance, and it contains Rand's most extensive statement of Objectivism in any of her works of fiction. It was her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing. Atlas Shrugged is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand.

Rand atlas shrugged