People struggled for liberty during the 17th and 18th centuries; they secured and enjoyed liberty in increasing measure during the 19th century. But since the World War I (1914-18), they are increasingly deprived of their freedoms and liberty in many countries of the world.
Many anti-freedoms movement have swept over several parts of the globe today. Fascism rose in Germany, Italy and Spain. McCarthyism threatens liberty of thought; speech and association in the U.S.A. Anti-communist crusades in many countries have denied liberty and rights to communist, socialist and leftist parties and associations.
In Communist countries some of the rights of the individual are recognized in theory but denied in practice. Even in England which prided herself as the home of liberty during the 19th century, liberty is on the decline.