After experiencing it first hand in the Soviet Union during her travels with the Red Cross, Lane was a staunch opponent of communism. As a result, Lane's initial writings on individualism and conservative government began while she was still writing popular fiction in the 1930s, culminating with "The Discovery of Freedom" (1943). After this point, Lane promoted and wrote about individual freedom and its impact on humanity. The same year also saw the publication of Paterson's "The God of the Machine" and Ayn Rand's novel "The Fountainhead". Because of these writings, the three women have been referred to as the founding mothers of the American libertarian movement.