In this 1964 lecture delivered at Boston’s Ford Hall Forum, Ayn Rand addresses a single question: “Is Atlas Shrugged a prophetic novel — or a historical one?” Rand draws parallels between events in the novel and events of the day, commenting on issues ranging from socialized medicine and the “brain drain” of Britain’s scientists to antitrust laws and the revival of “Robin Hood” festivals.

An edited version of this talk is available in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, a collection of essays by Rand and others. This presentation is 44 minutes long.