Chapter 5, Atlas Shrugged, Summary and Analysis

The next essay tells what occurred at the Twentieth Century Motor Company which put the Marxist slogan, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" into practice by one of its survivors.

The employee discusses how the owners of the firm introduced the workers to voting on how the plant should be run; six thousand people were there. None of the workers thought the plan would work. They voted for the plan anyway. The next four years were hell. Men had to work harder and harder and grew poorer and poorer. As one large family, they were supposed to work together but they couldn't motivate themselves.

Ultimately, men claimed they needed more but they all had to vote on changes. They began to fight over who got what. All the men became whiners...