The Four Freedoms

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s visions of essential human freedoms were the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. “Freedom from want” meant freedom from economic want. The phrase originally meant an end to barriers to international trade, but later became a promise of protection of America’s standard of living after the war. Roosevelt wanted to make this principle universal, promising it to everyone in the world. Roosevelt was criticized as a socialist for promoting such a liberal economic idea.
During the Depression and World War II, the world seemed complicated and out of control. Franklin Roosevelt’s last vision, “freedom from fear”, was an answer to people’s continuous worries about the outcome of the Great Depression and the Second World War. “Freedom from fear” was a promise of peace, and an end to physical aggression between countries. It called for a reduction in armaments to the point that no one country will harm another. But the Cold War would soon prove that “the arms race” between countries was inevitable.
When Germany invaded, attacked, and occupied much of Europe, Europeans and Americans lived in constant fear. Europeans lived in fear of physical aggression, and Americans lived in fear of greater economic downfall. Roosevelt succeeded in his campaign for “freedom from want” by mobilizing for war and selling weapons.
The new weapons of WWI frightened many, and the German’s annihilation of Europe disturbed not only Europeans, but also the rest of the world. Roosevelt called for an end to the collective armaments to ensure the safety of residents of the United States. He also universalized this principle by stating that the armaments race could be ended “anywhere in the world”.