I believe the foundation is the struggle between the individual and the group.

Individuals are naturally drawn to absolute freedom. The group is drawn to absolute control. This makes rational sense if you think about it. Nobody likes being told what to do, but in order for society to exist there have to be constraints upon the actions of individuals.

Hence, political groups and religions form and then organize based on the pragmatic requirements of the group, and individuals begin pushing the boundaries of the rules set within that group; essentially seeking more freedom.

It would probably be easier to measure freedom as the amount of harm a group will tolerate from an individual. So a group may ban murder entirely, restricting that freedom from the individual; but may allow alcohol consumption, because the harm committed is less.

As the group grows, more freedom is afforded to individuals because the relative harm to the group is mitigated by size alone. Also, as the group learns that criminal behavior is causing little to no harm, that behavior is then tolerated, then legalized, and finally goes mainstream and is accepted.