Freedom and Democracy Summary and Analysis

In this final chapter, Fromm extrapolates from his theory and the lessons taken from the rise of Nazism to suggest a proper course of action for society to achieve true freedom.

Fromm begins by asking rhetorically if democracy protects a society from Fascism. It does not in itself, he replies, as long as the economic forces of monopolistic capitalism continue to isolate individuals. It is this isolation that creates the "fertile soil" that will allow Fascism to grow anywhere. (p. 240)

Even in a democracy like that in the United States in the 1940s when Fromm is writing there is much pressure on individuals to conform to popular standards of behavior and suppress their real individuality. Fromm uses child-rearing and the educational system as examples of these forces. From an early age, children are taught manners where they...