Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Acton's view of history as a morality tale in which liberty and truth unfold over time was unfashionable during his lifetime. It was only during the Second World War that his unyielding moral outlook came into its own and was seen as a prophetic warning against totalitarianism. #2 Acton, like de Tocqueville, believes that history is the progress of increasing freedom. He believes that liberty is the result of a mature civilization, and that it takes a long time for freedom to become rooted in institutions. #3 Acton defines liberty as the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes his duty against the influence of authority and majorities. He believes that the history of liberty is the history of the deliverance of man from the power of man. #4 Acton believed that America was founded on the right balance between democracy and liberty. He noted that while democracies have allowed the slave trade to flourish, many of the most religiously intolerant societies have been democracies.