Freedom has many meanings. It is mostly studied as an idea that was defended against totalitarian powers. As such, Europe is considered part of the ‘Free World’. For others, freedom is in decline since it is defended by those who already enjoy wealth and power at the expense of the less fortunate. In his new book, Moritz Föllmer highlights the tension between ordinary people’s efforts to secure personal independence and the ambitious attempts of thinkers and activists to embed notions of freedom in their political and cultural agendas. He shows that, in the twentieth century, freedom had many meanings and was understood in various ways. Men and women articulated and pursued it against the backdrop of two world wars, the expanding power of the state, the constraints of working life, pre-established moral norms, the growing influence of America, and uncertain futures of colonial rule. But although claims to individual freedom could be steered and stymied, they could not, ultimately, be suppressed.