Expansion of human liberties since the 18 th century in western civilization

If one were to teach a course on Western Civilization since the 18 century, one of the major themes of the course might be the expansion of human liberty.
– what are the key characteristics that led to this development ?
-has the progress always and exclusively involved progress?
-how did the events of the first half of the 20 th century color this process and form the perspectives of the second half of the century ?
– in particular, what were the circumstances that brought forth the mass movements, such as communism and fascism?
– were these systems born of the yearning for human liberty ?