He admired American individualism but warned that
a society of individuals can easily become atomized and paradoxically uniform when “every citizen, being assimilated to all the rest, is lost in the crowd
.” He felt that a society of individuals lacked the intermediate social structures—such as those provided by …
What was a warning made by Alexis de Tocqueville quizlet?
“Tyranny of the majority”
is a warning that “direct democracy” can destroy a government by giving those who are a majority in population the majority of power in government.
How does Tocqueville characterize American individualism?
Tocqueville
distinguishes individualism from selfishness
. Selfishness, found at all times and all places, refers to a person’s pursuit of an apparent personal good at the expense of the common good.
What did Alexis de Tocqueville observe?
He observed that
voluntary giving
, which in Europe was accomplished through religious charity and State support, took the form of mutual assistance in America. Americans banded together to build hospitals, prisons, churches and schools.
What aspect of American society is most striking to Tocqueville?
But for Tocqueville the most striking condition of American society was
equality
.
What is the theory of individualism?
Individualism, political and social philosophy that
emphasizes the moral worth of the individual
. Although the concept of an individual may seem straightforward, there are many ways of understanding it, both in theory and in practice.
What did Alexis de Tocqueville mean by electioneering in America?
De Tocqueville observed a “constant agitation of parties,” each attempting to draw voters over to its side. In his notes he wrote
that a party candidate
“. . . must haunt the taverns, drink and argue with the mob; that is what is called Electioneering in America.”
What did Alexis de Tocqueville observe on his visit to the United States?
answer, what did Alexis de Tocqueville observe on his visit to the United States that reflected changes that were happening in the country during Jackson’s administration, The correct answer is b)
a growing spirit of democracy and equality between classes”
In “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831, he …
Why was Alexis de Tocqueville important to the United States?
French sociologist and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) traveled to the United States in 1831
to study its prisons and returned with a wealth of broader observations
that he codified in “Democracy in America” (1835), one of the most influential books of the 19th century.
What did Tocqueville say about religion in America?
“In the United States,” Tocqueville observes, “religion” exercises a beneficial “empire over intelligence.” Almost all Americans believe in or at least respect Christianity, with the result that “everything is certain and fixed in the moral world.” Therefore, in America, “
the human spirit never perceives an unlimited
…
What limitations did Tocqueville recognize in American democracy?
What limitations did Tocqueville recognize in American democracy?
It was only truly available to white men.
How did 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.
What did Tocqueville mean by in America I saw more than America?
“I confess,” he wrote, “that in America I saw more than America;
I sought the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order
to learn what we have to fear or hope from its progress.” This feature examines Tocqueville’s argument that the “great democratic …
What does Tocqueville mean by tyranny of the majority?
According to Tocqueville, the power of the majority arises from the fact that in a democracy every individual is, politically, the equal of every other individual. In this situation,
the greatest power will always be the largest number of individuals who combine their strength to act together
: normally, a majority.
What did de Tocqueville warn?
Tocqueville warned that modern democracy may be adept at inventing new forms of tyranny because radical equality could lead to the materialism of an expanding bourgeoisie and to the selfishness of individualism.
What is the central message of individualism?
Individualists promote
the exercise of one’s goals and desires and to value independence and self-reliance and advocate
that interests of the individual should achieve precedence over the state or a social group while opposing external interference upon one’s own interests by society or institutions such as the …
