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What did Alexis de Tocqueville say about American democracy?

What did Alexis de Tocqueville say about American democracy?

As “Democracy in America” revealed, Tocqueville believed that equality was the great political and social idea of his era, and he thought that the United States offered the most advanced example of equality in action.

How does de Tocqueville define democracy?

Tocqueville identifies democracy (which he also calls equality) as the central feature of modern society. The concept has the same central role in his thought as “capitalism” does in Marx’s.

Why did Alexis de Tocqueville believe US society was egalitarian?

Why did Alexis de Tocqueville believe that American society was egalitarian? Americans lacked a hereditary social class of nobles. Americans had just abolished slavery just before his visit. The Declaration of Independence announced that all men were created equal.

Why the writings of Alexis de Tocqueville were important?

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 analysed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies.

Why did Alexis de Tocqueville travel to the United States quizlet?

Why did Alexis de Tocqueville travel to the United States? He was sent to study American history. He wanted to learn about the democratic system.

Why does American democracy have no lasting obstacles?

Because American democracy lacks such intermediary institutions, it has “no lasting obstacles” in the way of the opinions, prejudices, interests, and momentary passions of the majority and tends towards an unthinking despotism over unpopular minorities.

Who was the author of democracy in America?

Democracy & Civic Engagement. Alexis de Tocqueville was the French author of Democracy in America (1835), perhaps the best, and certainly the most widely-quoted book ever written about the United States.

Who is the translator of democracy in America?

Note on the text of Democracy in America. Several translations of Tocqueville’s text are available in English. The page numbers and quotations used in this feature refer to the translation done by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (the University of Chicago Press, 2000).

What was the first part of democracy in America?

In the first part of Democracy in America, Tocqueville considers the public more as a means of coercion of people by the people than as a guarantor of rationality and freedom.