Democracy in AmericaFrench nobleman Alexis de Tocqueville's classic treatise on the American way of life. Over 175 years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville, an astute political scientist, came to the United States to evaluate the meaning and actual functioning of democracy. Here, Tocqueville discusses the advantages and dangers of majority rule—which he thought could be as tyrannical as the rule of a monarchy. He analyzes the influence of political parties and the press on the government and the effect of equality on the social, political, and economic life of the American people. He also offers some startling predictions about world politics, which history has borne out. So brilliant and penetrating are his comments and criticisms, they have vital meaning today for all who are interested in democracy. Abridged and with an Introduction by Richard D. Heffner and an Afterword by Vartan Gregorian |
Contents
PART | |
Origin of the AngloAmericans | |
Democratic Social Condition of the AngloAmericans | |
The Sovereignty of the People in America | |
Local Government | |
Decentralization in AmericaIts Effects | |
Political Associations in the United States | |
Advantages of Democracy in the United States | |
Unlimited Power of the Majority in the United States and Its Consequences | |
Causes Which Mitigate the Tyranny of the Majority in the United States | |
Causes Which Tend to Maintain Democracy | |
Future Prospects of the United States | |
BOOK I INFLUENCE OF DEMOCRACY UPON THE ACTION OF INTELLECT IN | |
Philosophical Method of the Americans | |
Judicial Power in the United States and Its Influence on Political Society | |
Aspects of the Federal Constitution | |
Political Parties | |
Liberty of the Press in the United States | |
Influence of Democracy on Religion | |
Equality Suggests to the Americans the Idea of the Indefinite | |
The Example of the Americans Does Not Prove That a Democratic People | |
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