How long is Tocqueville Democracy in America?

Alexis de Tocqueville’s four-volume Democracy in America (1835-1840) is commonly said to be among the greatest works of nineteenth-century political writing.

What was the main idea in Tocqueville’s Democracy in America?

Tocqueville’s main purpose in writing Democracy in America was to analyze the functioning of political society and the various forms of political associations, although he also had some reflections on civil society as well as the relations between political and civil society.

What are the 5 characteristics of American democracy that Alexis de Tocqueville observed?

As a result of his observations, Tocqueville determined five values crucial to America’s success as a constitutional republic: liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire.

What is Tocqueville’s main thesis?

The core of Tocqueville’s American thesis is the singular combination of the spirit of religion and the spirit of liberty characteristic of the Puritan experiment in America, together with his dual claim that this fact both constitutes the proper starting point for understanding “American civilization” and provides “ …

What did de Tocqueville criticized the US for?

De Tocqueville leveled some of his sharpest criticism against American political leaders themselves. He became convinced that outstanding men avoided elected office in order to pursue their private ambitions and careers. Those who did seek public office, he believed, were often poorly educated and open to corruption.

What did Tocqueville mean by in America I saw more than America?

In his introduction, Tocqueville writes: “In America, I saw more than America… I sought the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions. I wanted to know democracy, if only to know at least what we must hope or fear from it.”

What did Tocqueville say was the greatest danger to American democracy?

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is universally regarded as one of the most influential books ever written about America. The greatest danger Tocqueville saw was that public opinion would become an all-powerful force, and that the majority could tyrannize unpopular minorities and marginal individuals.

Is Tocqueville’s democracy in America a great work of political writing?

Alexis de Tocqueville’s four-volume Democracy in America (1835-1840) is commonly said to be among the greatest works of nineteenth-century political writing.

Is there a translation of democracy in America in English?

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 is demdemocracy in America?

Democracy in America brilliantly captures and mimics in literary form the growth of an open, experimental society, a dynamic political order deeply aware of its own originality. Its grasp of these qualities of democracy was undoubtedly nurtured by Tocqueville’s peripatetic through the young American republic.

When does Tocqueville’s history begin?

Since Democracy in America was published in 1835, Tocqueville’s history begins in approximately 1100 CE. The first paragraph of the history gives a brief sketch of Europe at that time, before the great movement towards equality began.