Its title translates as on democracy in america, but english translations are usually simply entitled democracy in america. Examining the condition of the states before that of the union chapter 6. He was fascinated by the way people lived in democratic countries. Democracy in america 18351840 is arguably the most perceptive and influential book ever written about american politics and society. Many of his insightful observations american society and political system, found in the two volume book he published after. Page 262 i have nowhere seen woman occupying a loftier position.
Democracy, united states politics and government, united states social conditions. The result was democracy in america, a subtle and prescient analysis of the life and institutions of 19thcentury america. The first discusses americas institutions and governing structures, and the second provides an. It remains the most often quoted book about the united states.
Indians ignorant and poor yet equal and free 1 all footnotes refer to. Tocqueville looked to the flourishing deomcratic system in america as a possible model for postrevolutionary france, believing that the egalitarian ideals it enshrined reflected the spirit of the age and even divine will. His ninemonth visit and subsequent reading and reflection resulted in this landmark masterpiece of. How equality of condition contributes in america to good morals. Democracy in america is in trouble, but it is not the u. Having seen the failed attempts at a democratic government in his native france, tocqueville set out to study a stable and prosperous democracy in order to gain insight into how it worked.
It was a bold effort for one who had no special training in government, or in the study of political economy, but he had the example of lafayette in establishing the military foundation of these liberties, and of. Tocqueville looked to the flourishing democratic system in american as a possible model for postrevolutionary france. Democracy in america other in condition, there are some individuals wielding the power of superior intelligence, learning, and enlightenment, while the. In the eleven years that separated the declaration of the independence of the united states from the completion of that act in the ordination of our written constitution, the great minds of america were bent upon the study of the principles of government that were essential to the. In democracy in america, tocquevilles own predictions about americas rapid and expansive growth were not widely off the mark. By the twentieth century, it had become a classic work of political science, social science, and history.
Furthermore, tocquevilles democracy in america is often cited by presentday critics because so many of the observations in it seem extraordinarily suitable even more than one hundred and fifty years later. Democracy, united states politics and government, united states social conditions publisher new york. Jan 21, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The book he wrote on his return to france, democracy in america, is both the best ever written on democracy and the best ever written on america. Tocquevilles democratic curiosity about democracy permeates his great book, which was published in two volumes, in 1835 and 1840. Politically, tocqueville worried that democracy might be perverted, particularly in the absence of sound, aristocratic, leadership. His work has been revisited by politicians ever since, particularly in america, with its analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of direct democracy and its. Why the americans are more addicted to practical than to theoretical science.
The abridged edition of the enduring masterworka classic portrait of americas culture and people. What struck him most was the countrys equality of conditions, its democracy. This textbased pdf was prepared by the typesetters of the lf book. One way in which he stood out in nineteenthcentury france was his attitude towards religion. If a democratic state of society and democratic institutions do not stop the career of the human mind, they incontestably guide it in one direction in preference to another. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Among the new objects that attracted my attention during my stay in the united states, none struck my eye more vividly than the equality of conditions, writes alexis detocqueville. In this introduction author tocqueville presents his overall impression of america and what he found most striking. This portable document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. He argued that the importance of the french revolution. He was best known for his works democracy in america appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840 and the old regime and the revolution 1856. Many of his insightful observations american society and political system, found in the two volume book he published after his visit, still remain surprisingly relevant today. Democracy in america starts out with an admiration for the democratic system of america in 1831. Democracy in america has had the singular honor of being even to this day the work that political commentators of every stripe refer to when they seek to draw large conclusions about the society of the usa.
The paradoxes of liberty in tocquevilles democracy in america. When it was first published last year, harvey mansfield and delba winthrops new translation of democracy in america was lauded in all quarters as the finest and most definitive edition of tocqueville s classic thus farcomplete with the most faithful and readable translation to date, impeccable annotations of unfamiliar references, and a masterful introduction placing the democracy in america. He begins by emphasizing popular participation in the direct election of representatives on an. Page 123 the great advantage of the americans is, that they have arrived at a state of democracy without having to endure a democratic revolution. As is often found in democracy in america, the framework of this chapter features a contrast between aristocracy and d. This prescient nineteenthcentury aristocratic frenchman reflected classical greek fears of democracy as mobocracy i.
Political science, tocqueville on religion and democracy neh. The mass media are the main driver of the dumbingdown of americans. Having seen the failed attempts at a democratic government in his native france, tocqueville set out to study a stable and prosperous democracy in order to gain insight into how it work. Democracy in america quotes showing of 294 i do not know if the people of the united states would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run. Henry reeve is a publication of the pennsylvania state university. As such, it is concerned with evaluating the internal, conceptual validity of tocquevilles work rather than. Table of contents volume i authors introduction chapter 1. Tocqueville was interested in how aspects of american democracy, in the age of president andrew jackson, could be applied to europe as it moved away from rule by monarchs and aristocrats. When it was first published last year, harvey mansfield and delba winthrops new translation of democracy in america was lauded in all quarters as the finest and most definitive edition of tocquevilles classic thus farcomplete with the most faithful and readable translation to date, impeccable annotations of unfamiliar references, and a masterful introduction placing the.
It was immediately popular in both europe and the united states, while also having a profound impact on the french population. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. When tocqueville visited america in the 1830s he found a thriving democracy of a kind he had not seen anywhere else. Then he begins to do a geographical outline of the country. Tocquevilles main point in this section is that political freedom requires sacrifices, whereas the pleasures of equal. Democracy in america was published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the other in 1840. Origin and importance of the angloamericans chapter 4. In the book, tocqueville examines the democratic revolution that he believed had been occurring over the previous several hundred years.
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