[Errigal]

The answer must be very different for different countries. I myself think the most important freedom comes from knowing that you can trust the other people in your community. If you feel that your home may be taken from you, or burnt down, or that the money in your bank account can just dissappear, you are not really free even if you have elections.

If you have a community to stand behind you, other groups or the government will hesitate to attack you because of the consequences. That gives people real freedom. This falls apart when your nation or community is willing to abandon you to an outside power or sacrifice you for another group's goal.

Having confidence in your local community gives you freedom from fear and can exist in both dictatorships and democracies. I much prefer democracies myself but they can be vulnerable selfish groups from inside and outside a nation.