The Shock Doctrine

by Naomi Klein · 2007

Naomi Klein’s landmark investigation reveals how the world’s most powerful free‑market architects have turned disaster into opportunity. Tracing the rise of Milton Friedman’s radical economic doctrine, Klein shows that crises—whether wars, natural catastrophes, or political upheavals—are deliberately weaponized to push through sweeping privatizations and market reforms. From the shock of Chile’s 1970s coup to the devastation of Iraq, the tsunami‑ravaged coasts of Sri Lanka, and post‑Katrina New Orleans, she uncovers a pattern of “disaster capitalism” where ordinary people, already reeling, are hit with rapid, profit‑driven makeovers that strip away public assets and deepen inequality. The book blends gripping reportage with incisive analysis, exposing the hidden agenda behind the world’s most pervasive economic ideology.