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Democracy in America

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Alexis De Tocqueville was simply of one of the great social scientists writing about America and Democracy. From reading the book I deduced that Tocqueville was a social scientist before Marx! He compares European culture and government with the fledgling culture and democracy he observes in America. He is very much impressed with what he sees taking place in America in the 1830's and hopes it will spread to Europe. He at first believed that America's prosperity was simply due to geography and their distance from powerful neighbors, he abandons this idea after his visit to America. He comes to realize that the West is not being peopled "by new European immigrants to America, but by Americans who he believes have no adversity to taking risks." Tocqueville comes to see that Americans are the most broadly educated and politically advanced people in the world and one of the reasons for the success of our form of government. He also foretells America's industrial preeminence and strength through the unfettered spread of ideas and human industry.

Tocqueville also saw the insidious damage that the institution of slavery was causing the country and predicted some 30 years before the Civil War that slavery would probable cause the states to fragment from the union. He also the emergence of stronger states rights over the power of the federal government. He held fast to his belief that the greatest danger to democracy was the trend toward the concentration of power by the federal government. He predicted wrongly that the union would probably break up into two or three countries because of regional interests and differences. This idea is the only one about America that he gets wrong. Despite some of his misgivings, Tocqueville, saw that democracy is an "inescapable development" of the modern world. The arguments in the "Federalist Papers" were greater then most people realized. He saw a social revolution coming that continues throughout the world today.

Tocqueville realizes at the very beginning of the "industrial revolution" how industry, centralization, and democracy strengthened each other and moved forward together. I am convinced that Tocqueville is still the preeminent observer of America but is also the father of social science. A must read for anyone interested in American history, political philosophy or the social sciences.

I took a class on Sociology and Law in college and my professor kept on referring to this book. I decided to see what he was talking about first hand and am glad I did! This book is expertly written and thought provoking. This is kind of book that you take out and reference every once in a while. Yes, it does get boring in some parts but I think that if you are in the legal profession or you just like history this is a book for you!!

This is probably the best book on the history of American Government. I loved it. I highly recommend it.

De Tocqueville was an amazing man who posessed amazing insight into the workings (and not-workings) of American society. One only laments the fact that he was not a middle caste American politician arguing amongst great minds during the Constitutional conventions. Then again, we are equally lucky of the fact that he was a curious Frenchman of the leisure class who happened to be passing through. This is what gives de Tocqueville the ability to refrain from emotionalism and give us an outsiders view of what makes America good, bad and just plain different.

See, de tocqueville recognizes, as did our founders, that liberty and democracy are key ingredients to a healthy society. On the other hand, he points out that too much freedom or democracy lead to lazy, public-opinion driven conformity, over-emphasis on materialism and restlessness. Another contradiction de tocqueville points out is that although self-government is generally a good idea, there are times when an all powerful aristocracy is just more efficient. He can see all sides.
The best part then is that de Tocqueville doesn't come to any final conclusion. He just observes and reports on America's inner workings as seen by an aristocratic Frenchman.

A few reccomendations to the de tocqueville virgins. First, as this is the unabridged, it may be advised to read the first book, pause to read something else, then read the second book. I read it straight through and found that not only would I have benefited from reflection, but much of the second book is a rehash the first. Second, keep in mind during the second book that the word 'democracy' is also de tocqueville's word for 'capitalism'. The word 'capitalism' would be introduced only years later by one Karl Marx. So when de tocqueville says that democracy increases industriousness, what the reader should hear is that capitalism increases industriousness. This in itself is a brilliant observation by de tocqueville. Democracy and capitalism really are the same thing, different scale. The producer, like the political candidate, cater to the consumer or the voter. Both systems allow the individual to choose the goods and services he wants and reject those he doesn't. This is why one may also want to read 'Wealth of Nations' with this book.

The only other thing I can tell the reader before he or she embarks on a fascinating reading adventure is to keep in mind why de tocqueville wrote the book. He intended it to be read by the french who were not familiar with or had misconceptions about America. Of course, it provides contemporary America with an amazing historical survey. Like the introductory exclamation to MTV's 'Diary' show says, "You think you know, but you have no idea".

what's amazing to me is how much and how little American culture has changed in almost three centuries.

If you want to understand where America is going, then it's essential to understand where America has been, and this book, even more than the Federalist papers, will show you that.

A great book for understanding the state of the US in the early 1800's. Often quoted by politicians for support of contradictory views, so we need to be familiar with it to avoid being missled by those who want to use it to support any particular political viewpoint. However, there is a pressing need for an insightful critique from the standpoint of American history subsequent to the 1830's when it was written. A lot of de Toqueville's impressions regarding local governments as the foundation of American Democracy went by the board with the rise of the industrial economy, as the latter tended to erode a lot of individual freedoms that were presnt when this was an agricultural economy. In addition, many of Toqueville's observations were anticipated by ancient classical writers who could see the dangers of the mob rule accompanying democracy. De Toqueville perceived a lot of checks and balances against this but they may have had only limited effectiveness. I was surprised to see that he considered materialism to be such a strong influence even in the early history of the nation. His observations on the difficulty of abandoning slavery were somewhat true, as exemplified by the viciousness of the Civil War. I lost my copy of this book in the middle of reading it but am about to get another copy so that I can finish it, which indicates how important I think it is.

This a book that every politician, political science major, or concerned voter should read

not finished with volume I yet but I love these kind of books, being a graduate student studying public history I like to read a wide variety of historical based books

...and others understand Americans. I was required to read this book for a college course and was actually dreading its seemingly tedious discourses on a myriad of subjects. After diving in, however, I discovered something totally different was contained. One thing sorely lacking from education in grades K-12 is REALITY. As children we are indoctrinated with the idea of American supremacy to all other nations. I can understand instilling love in one's country, but we're being brainwashed here! After going through college I began to wrestle with the inherent contradictions of American thinking. This book systematically handles many of those issues and really helps American citizens realize how we've gotten ourselves where we are today (filthy rich & hated throughout the world.) I don't hate America, just a lot of what the government does. this book will greatly expand your way of thinking on various subjects. If taught in the proper manner, this book will shatter conventional concepts of America. Forget all that other crap we had to read in school...this should be required reading. It handles everything from economics, art, gender issues, etc....a classic.

One is at a loss on how to review a book of this depth and magnitude and considering the countless great reviews there are already about this book as Lincoln said there is little in my poor power to add or detract; however that being said I will still make a couple observations.

First I'm not sure how you completely define this book it is semi-historical, semi-political, semi-philosophical and a sociological analysis of America in particular and Democracy in general. All that being said Toqueville blends all this together to form his "theory" of the effects of democracy and equality that was taking hold in France and the rest of the world. Equality was the biggest fear for Toqueville, he worried people would be like pigs to the trough of equality trampling liberty and freedom on their way to gorge themselves silly and then find themselves at some despot's feet herding them around. I admit the pig analogy is kinda crude but it works.

I think Toqueville's concerns about equality are as valid today as when he wrote them. Liberty has always been a better friend to equality than equality has been a friend to liberty. Given all this though I think the two main things that are important about his work the need for religion\healthy morals for a society and a necessary but limited governmental role in society.

Religion is the glue that holds societies together, I can already hear the atheists screaming we can be moral with no god, sorry doesn't work at least be honest like Nietzsche and admit all that matters is strength, power and the will to use it against anyone who stands in your way. Here are a few Toqueville quotes to show the point.

"Fixed ideas about God and human nature are indispensable to men for the conduct of daily life, and it is daily life that prevents them from acquiring them."

"I am led to think if he has no faith he must obey and if he is free he must believe."

"There all many things that offend me about the materialists. I think their doctrines pernicious, and their pride revolts me.....when they think they have sufficiently established that they are no better than brutes, they seem as if they had proved that they were gods."

Lastly I think Toqueville's warnings against a philosophy of history like what Tolstoy describes as a "Force" or "God" directing the flow of history is destructive even if one could prove it. To quote Toqueville for the last time

"Thus historians who live in democratic time do not only refuse to admit that some citizens may influence the destiny of a people, but also take away from the peoples themselves the faculty of modifying their own lot and make them depend either on an inflexible providence or on a kind of blind fatality."

"These are false and cowardly doctrines which can only produce feeble men and pusillanimous nations. Providence did not make mankind entirely free or completely enslaved. Providence has, in truth drawn a predestined circle around each man beyond which he cannot pass; but within those limits man is strong and free and so are peoples."

This is one my favorite books and one of the best I have ever read. It made me appreciate even more the blessing of this country, and shows that we have the ability to keep it the last best hope on Earth. To be happy and to be free, it is enough to will it to be so.