Prague

Freedom's a tough sell.  It's a relatively recent, and novel political idea.   Most government, since the earliest, has been arbitrary and authoritarian.  The enlightment brought new ideas, but concepts of individual autonomy, consent of the governed and secure property rights are recent and still contested.   The benefits of liberal society ultimately may lead to its undoing.  Freedom aside from being worthwhile to most in and of itself, has been instrumental in the creation of material prosperity.  Yet freedom can be exploited through a democratic poliotical process to address concerns attributed to it, however justifiably, such as for example inequality.  There is the risk that policies curtailing freedoms to  address inequality serve to shift the basis of inequality towards one based on political power and  connections.  This could be part of what Schumpeter had in mind in arguing that  democracy leads to socialism and inflation.
This dynamic leads to the rise of a political class with a greater interest in preserving its power through patronage and the consumption of wealth generated in a more liberal era than in preserving freedom and market systems responsible for the generation of wealth.  This can be seen in Argentina, Venezuela, Western Europe, and is apparent in this country, particularly in places like California and Michigan.
Counter examples, illustrating the risks of utopian promises made by grasping politicians, in the eastern block during the cold war and the fascist countries before, still exist but are less clearly defined.  Before 1989, credible evidence that a person or groupd was associated with communism was broadly considered damnable.  We now have the first generation with no such examples.  The generation with no living memory of the USSR, (or of Maoist China) comes of age during a time of widespread economic hardship, much of which is blamed on liberal economy, and by extension, liberal society.  This may make them especially susceptible to illiberal, authoriatian ideas.
Here are some pictures from a brief trip to Prauge a couple of years ago, a few of which might be somewhat related to this post's content, but mostly not.

Wartburg

Known for crystal souverniers

quality hotdog stand

trabi

lot of silver

WWI memorial

Kafka's sister's house

very small

Memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajic, students who immolated themselves in protest of 1968 Soviet invasion

Same architect as dome from famous Hiroshima photo

Cold war joke: Why do Skoda's have heated rear windows?  To keep your hands warm as you push.

According to my guide, pork is the preferred vegitable

Photo of a widely resented Stalinist monument built shortly after the war, since destroyed.