How the World Works (Real Story book cover

How the World Works (Real Story by Noam Chomsky Summary

How the World Works (Real Story
Noam Chomsky
Politics
Society
Economics
Overview
Key Takeaways
Author
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Overview of How the World Works (Real Story

Noam Chomsky's essential political anthology deconstructs how power truly operates in our world. Cited more frequently than Shakespeare and embraced by activists worldwide, "How the World Works" reveals uncomfortable truths about wealth, media manipulation, and democracy that establishment figures hope you'll never discover.

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Key takeaways

1

The Hidden Machinery Behind Global Power

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Imagine a world where the most cited intellectual of our time-ranking alongside Plato and Freud-is systematically excluded from mainstream media. This is the paradox of Noam Chomsky, whose analysis has proven remarkably prescient over decades while remaining strangely marginalized in public discourse. When Barack Obama was photographed holding "How the World Works" in 2008, it sparked both hope and alarm-a fitting reaction to a text that fundamentally challenges our understanding of global power. Through meticulous documentation and clear-eyed analysis, Chomsky exposes the gap between political rhetoric and reality, offering nothing less than an alternative education in how power actually functions in our world. World War II created an unprecedented opportunity for American dominance. While industrial rivals in Europe and Asia lay in ruins, the United States emerged controlling approximately 50% of global wealth with just 6.3% of the population. This dramatic imbalance allowed American planners to reshape the post-war world according to their interests. The strategy was breathtaking in scope. State Department planners developed the concept of a "Grand Area"-encompassing the Western Hemisphere, Western Europe, the Far East, former British Empire, and Middle Eastern energy resources-to be subordinated to American economic needs. Each region was assigned specific functions: Germany and Japan would become "great workshops" under American supervision, while the Third World would serve as "a source of raw materials and a market" for industrial powers.

2

The Mechanics of Manufactured Consent and Control

3

Central America: The Laboratory of American Power

4

Globalization and Economic Control

5

Violence as National Security Policy

6

Building Democratic Alternatives

7

Reclaiming the Democratic Tradition

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@Matt, YC alum
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
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