First published 1934
Orlando Patterson completes his ambitious two-volume study of freedom with this examination of liberty from the 17th century to the present day. Building on his acclaimed first volume about freedom in antiquity, Patterson challenges conventional wisdom about the relationship between capitalism and liberty in Western societies. He argues that modern concepts of freedom did not arise alongside capitalist economic systems as many scholars claim. Instead, Patterson traces an uninterrupted line connecting ancient understandings of freedom to contemporary ones. Through careful historical analysis spanning centuries, he reveals how ideas about liberty evolved while maintaining core continuities across different eras. This concluding volume offers readers a comprehensive view of freedom's development through modern history and a fresh perspective on how Western concepts of liberty actually emerged.
Genres: history, 20th-century, biography-memoir, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-perspective, scholarly-analysis
Setting: Western Societies
Period: 17th Century, Present Day
448 pages · Hardcover · Basic Books