In this chapter, Erich Fromm starts to examine tectonic changes happening in the Medieval Society during the Renaissance. The feudal system is collapsing and all levels of society are being transformed by capitalism.
Humans become individuals in the modern sense and acquire the freedom they previously did not have - and along with it, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. They experience psychological effects similar to what society experienced in the early 20th century, which sets up ground work for the Reformation.
Chapter 3 - Freedom in The Age of the Reformation - 1