Democracy In America: And Two Essays on America

by Alexis de Tocqueville

For use in schools and libraries only. A study of America's national government, egalitarian ideals, and character offers reflections on the effect of majority rule on the rights of individuals and provides insight into the rewards and responsibilities of a democratic government, in a new tra

Genres: Politics

992 pages, Library Binding

Published July 1, 2003

About the author

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville, usually known as just Tocqueville, was a French aristocrat, diplomat, sociologist, political scientist, political philosopher, and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both, he analyzed the living standards and social conditions of individuals as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
Tocqueville was active in French politics, first under the July Monarchy (1830–1848) and then during the Second Republic (1849–1851) which succeeded the February 1848 Revolution. He retired from political life after Louis Napoléon Bonaparte's 2 December 1851 coup and thereafter began work on The Old Regime and the Revolution. Tocqueville argued the importance of the French Revolution was to continue the process of modernizing and centralizing the French state which had begun under Louis XIV. He believed the failure of the Revolution came from the inexperience of the deputies who were too wedded to abstract Enlightenment ideals.
Tocqueville was a classical liberal who advocated parliamentary government and was skeptical of the extremes of majoritarianism. During his time in parliament, he was first a member of the centre-left before moving to the centre-right, and the complex and restless nature of his liberalism has led to contrasting interpretations and admirers across the political spectrum.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Democracy in America is a wonderful look at the soul of a young country, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to understand more fully how we came to be the America that we are. But what I really want to write about is "Two Weeks in the Wilderness" and "Journey to Lake Oneida," the essays at the end of this edition.

These essays are beautiful. With clarity and great vulnerability Tocqueville preserved for his readers a little lasting piece of the great American frontier. I was scared and thrilled and moved by his reports of the absolutely endless wildness of the country and am now more deeply awed than ever at the destruction and will that were required to occupy this continent from coast to coast. I will never see anything like what Tocqueville is reporting to us; I will never stand in the middle of a great ancient forest and know that for as far as I can travel there is wildness, and so I am thankful that I can taste it briefly in these essays.

[Ramesh Naidu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be a must read for every educated person. His assessment of the slave situation and the various attitudes is amazingly prescient . Definitely one of those books that need a read every few years . Still don't see How he arrives at the various conclusions of aristocracy vs democracy with comparing just America and France