What are two major events that shaped Ayn Rand's views on life and societal structures?

Two major events that significantly shaped Ayn Rand's views on life and societal structures were:

1. The Bolshevik Revolution and the subsequent establishment of communist rule in Russia. Ayn Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905, and she personally experienced the rise of the Soviet Union. The confiscation of her family's pharmacy during the Soviet Revolution and the hardships they faced under the new regime had a profound effect on her. She developed a strong opposition to collectivism and the principles of communism, which she saw as oppressive and stifling to individual freedom and rights.

2. Her immigration to the United States in 1926. Ayn Rand moved to the United States at the age of 21, drawn by its culture of individualism and the American Dream. The stark contrast between the opportunities and freedom she found in the U.S. and the repression she had left behind in Soviet Russia solidified her belief in capitalism and individual rights. The opportunity to freely pursue her writing career, without government interference, greatly influenced her developing philosophy which she later called Objectivism, praising the virtues of rational self-interest and individualism as the cornerstones of a prosperous and moral society.