"The Powershift Era" is about Toffler's vision of the future state of power in the world. His essay is
comprised mainly of examples of shifts in power that have occurred in the past or that are happening right
now. The introduction to "The Powershift Era" includes these observations:

   "Some see Toffler as a visionary whose writings can help foretell the future and whose interpretations
    of current trends can help make that future a reality. Others see his writings as superficial 'pop
    sociology' that offers little of substance. These critics accuse him of substituting glib cliches and
    jargon - 'premature arrival of the future,' 'massive adaptational breakdown,' 'social future assemblies,'
    and so on - for serious thought, and they take him to task for his shallow (or nonexistent) reading of
    history."

   "[Toffler's] reputation ... received a boost in 1995 from his friendship with House Speaker Newt
    Gingrich - a futurism buff on whose thinking Toffler is reported to have a substantial influence."

   "Apart from his writing, [Toffler] serves as a lecturer and consultant to governments and corporations."

Toffler's introductory section includes many examples of current changes in power, such as the many
changes in large corporations and their CEOs, the increases in ethnic and racial clashes, the
unwillingness of workers to follow their supervisors' orders without question, and the "great sucking
power vacuums" in some locations (such as Eastern Europe) where the nations are undergoing changes
at a rapid rate. He goes on to say:

   "     There is strong reason to believe that the forces now shaking power at every level of the human
    system will become more intense and pervasive in the years immediately ahead.
          Out of the massive restructuring of power relationships, like the shifting and grinding of tectonic
    plates in advance of an earthquake, will come on the of the rarest events in human history: a
    revolution in the very nature of power.
          A 'powershift' does not merely transfer power. It transforms it."