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The World Is Flat

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The World Is Flat
The World Is Flat

A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century

by
Thomas L. Friedman
First published: 2005

Table of Contents

• Key Figures
• Short Summary (Synopsis)
• Thomas L. Friedman - Biography
• Genre
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Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis

• Chapters 1 - 4 - How the World Became Flat
• Chapters 5 - 9 - America and the Flat World
• Chapter 10 - Developing Countries and the Flat World
• Chapter 11 - Companies and the Flat World
• Chapters 12 - 14 - Geopolitics and the Flat World
• Chapter 15 - Conclusion: Imagination

Overall Analysis

• Structure Analysis
• Key Facts
• Important Quotations / Memorable Quotes and Analysis

Questions

• Memorable Quotes Quiz
• Vocabulary
• Study Questions/Multiple-Choice Quiz
• Answer Key
• Essay Topics - Book Report Ideas

ONLINE STUDY GUIDE: THE WORLD IS FLAT BY THOMAS FRIEDMAN

KEY FIGURES

Nandan Nilekani
CEO of Infosys Technologies Limited, “one of the jewels of the Indian information technology world.” Friedman describes Nilekani as “one of the most thoughtful and respected captains of Indian industry.”

Ann
Friedman’s wife. Ann is a first-grade teacher and Friedman’s confidant throughout the text.

Orly and Natalie
Friedman’s daughters, whom he references throughout the text.

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David Ricardo
He is the Ricardo to whom Friedman refers in the subtitle of Chapter 5, “Is Ricardo Still Right?.” Ricardo (1772-1823) “was an English economist who developed the free-trade theory of comparative advantage, which stipulates that if each nation specializes in the production of goods in which it has a comparative cost advantage and then trades with other nations for the goods in which they specialize, there will be an overall gain in trade, and overall income levels should rise in each trading country.”

G. Wayne Clough
He is the president of Georgia Institute of Technology. When Clough became president of the college the graduation rate was only 65% and
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