"Democracy in America"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Alexis de Tocqueville's seminal work on democracy, "Democracy in America", has shaped America's self-vision and global theory on democracy since it was released in 1835. It looks at how the first volume of Tocqueville's work, then, dealt extensively with the history and formation of American democracy, especially concerning itself with the details of jurisdictions, applications, and details of the American system of governance. It also examines how, when five years later he revisited his earlier topic, he focused less on the nature of the body of government and more on the nature of the governed and the peculiarities of environment, social structure, and personal mores that allowed democracy to function as it did. It shows how there is a relatively short space between these two works and how most of their central theses and themes are overlapping and indistinguishable. The primary differences between the two are the subject matter (institutions versus populations), the greater degree to which the second develops a thesis rather than merely describing a phenomena, the treatment of aristocracy and equality within America, and the degree to which Tocqueville appears optimistic about the prospects of the nation.

From the Paper:

"In both works Tocqueville is largely complementary towards the system. Especially in he first volume, he seems to uphold this model as one of the finest to be followed by the nations of Europe, though he seems skeptical that it could be entirely reproduced in a different environment and social climate. In the second, however, while still praising the system he has a tendency to criticize the citizens of America and their nature. While he sees a number of important moral and religious positives within American culture that are encouraged by their system of government (especially regarding the treatment of women, marriage, and the family), he also seems to embrace an idea of the American people as less intelligent, less prone to works of artistic genius and worth, and generally more bombastic and insufferable than their European counterparts."

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• Book Review # 68906 : "Democracy in America"

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