If you read nothing else, read this

The Iron Heel by Jack London

Paperback | 8.26 x 5.23in | 256 pages | ISBN 9780143039716 | Re-published as Penguin Classic 25 Jul 2006

"A truer prophecy of the future than either Brave New World or The Shape of Things to Come." -George Orwell

Part science fiction, part dystopian fantasy, part radical socialist tract, Jack London's The Iron Heel is a grim depiction of warfare between the classes in America and around the globe. Originally published in 1908, it anticipated many features of the past century, including the rise of fascism, the emergence of domestic terrorism, and the growth of centralized government surveillance and authority. What begins as a war of words ends in scenes of harrowing violence as the state oligarchy, known as "the Iron Heel," moves to crush all opposition to its power...says the Penguin blurb.

Written in the future , assembled from contemporary sources this tells the story of The Oligarchy (The Iron Heel) who are the largest monopoly trusts (viz robber barons) who have eradicated the middle class by bankrupting small to mid-sized independent business as well as reducing farmers effectively to serfdom.

This Oligarchy maintains power through a "labor caste" and the Mercenaries.

Labor in essential industries like steel and rail are elevated and given decent wages, housing, and education. Indeed, the tragic turn in the novel (and Jack London's core warning to his contemporaries) is the treachery of these favored unions which break with the other unions and side with the Oligarchy.

A a second, military caste is formed: the Mercenaries. The Mercenaries are officially the army of the US but are in fact in the employ of the Oligarchs.

If you want to make sense of the Neo-cons, Zionist, Christian Zionists, military industrial complex, Bilderberg, NATO, Guantanamo Bay, "rendition", warrantless surveillance, trashing the US Constitution ..... read it.