1941 - Publication of “Escape from Freedom”

Erich Fromm’s Escape from Freedom (1941) expanded early neo-Marxism by integrating psychoanalysis with Marxist critique, exploring how individuals cope with the anxieties of modern capitalism. Fromm analyzed how freedom can lead to existential anxiety, driving people toward authoritarianism, conformity, or destructiveness. This work deepened Marxist thought by linking psychological mechanisms to systemic oppression, influencing the Frankfurt School and laying groundwork for interdisciplinary critiques of capitalism, ideology, and authoritarianism.