Journeys to England & Ireland

by J.P. Mayer (Editor)

This extraordinary series of observations on England and Ireland complements de Tocqueville's masterpieces on the United States and France in the mid-nineteenth century. These pages are perhaps the most penetrating writings on the spirit of British politics. In effect, as indicated by John Stuart Mill, de Tocqueville was the Montesquieu of the nineteenth century. This is especially the case if one thinks of the present Irish situation. His political acumen reached into the future -which is now our present.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Jacob-Peter Mayer (1903–1992) was a German-born editor of the works of Alexis de Tocqueville and founder of the Tocqueville Research Centre at the University of Reading where he was Professor Emeritus. He was considered 'the foremost authority on the great French sociologist'.

Reviews

[Dmitry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed a lot the short history of England and the way de Tocqueville researched motives and the reasons that caused historical events (i.e. how did Parlament appear). The journey itself is quite interesting to perceive what England & Ireland were like. Quite deep thoughts on irish poverty, catholic-protestant relations and aristocracy.
What can I say? I wish he'd also visited Scotland!

[Calliope100]

not having much knowledge myself about Ireland's history I was fortunate to have read The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth and so was a little prepared; I suspect I would not have believed De Touqueville's account. I find reading histories and accounts of countries by outsiders very rewarding, but I always take them with a grain of salt, as they say. his description of what the Irish were enduring by absent and exploitative landowners is beyond disheartening. De Touquville, having written so thoroughly on the France, seems astonished to find that such bone breaking poverty was not in fact leading to revolution. Rather than rebel, the inhabitants left (he was ther during the first wave of emigration, in 1835.). I am now inspired to read everything else by him as his writing style suits me well.