The essays collected in this book have a common denominator: freedom of the individual as the highest value to strive for in a democratic society. Thus, the volume considers the question of who is endangering the freedom of the individual. In investigating this question, the book calls upon the thought of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Hannah Arendt, and deals with the issues of democracy, revolution, and human rights.