New Books in Western European Studies Moritz Föllmer, "The Quest for Individual Freedom: A Twentieth-Century European History" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Jan 9, 2026
Moritz Föllmer, an Associate Professor of Modern History at the University of Amsterdam, discusses his book on the quest for individual freedom in 20th-century Europe. He explores how war paradoxically created both constraints and opportunities for freedom, especially for women. Föllmer critiques simplistic narratives around individuality, focusing on the diverse meanings of freedom amid conflicting political ideologies like social democracy and neoliberalism. He also delves into the complexities of colonialism, the evolution of personal liberties, and the ongoing tensions between individual and collective freedoms.
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Freedom Is Defined Against Constraints
- Georg Simmel and Isaiah Berlin guide a layered approach: freedom has subjective degrees and is often defined against constraints.
- Föllmer expands Berlin's negative/positive freedom to include military, factory, and gender constraints as objects of freedom claims.
War's Paradoxical Openings For Women
- Wars imposed massive constraints like conscription and compulsory labor but also opened unexpected spaces of opportunity, especially for women.
- Föllmer cites letters where women celebrated managing farms or moving to better-paid factory jobs as newfound independence.
Two Competing State Models Of Freedom
- 20th-century politics offered competing visions: liberal minimal state vs social-democratic enabling state, each claiming to increase freedom.
- Social democracy expanded freedoms via welfare but risked standardization and was later challenged by neoliberal and cultural critiques.
