As “Democracy in America” revealed, Tocqueville believed that equality was the great political and social idea of his era , and he thought that the United States offered the most advanced example of equality in action.
What was the purpose of Alexis de Tocqueville 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 does De Tocqueville see as the danger of a democratic society?
De Tocqueville, however, saw another even more disturbing threat to American democracy. He feared that American citizens would become so satisfied with being equal to one another that they would abandon their deep interest and involvement in self-government . ... Americans would end up having equality through slavery.
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.
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 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 did Alexis de Tocqueville react to his visit to the United States?
How did Alexis de Tocqueville react to his visit to the United States? ... Tocqueville came to believe that democracy was an unstoppable force whose major benefit was equality before the law . However, he also described the tyranny of the majority, which overpowers the will of minorities and individuals.
What limitations did Tocqueville recognize in American democracy?
What limitations did Tocqueville recognize in American democracy? It was only truly available to white men.
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 main point of Democracy in America?
Equality of Conditions and Political Equality
Alexis de Tocqueville declares that political equality, pervasive in America, provides the strong foundation for democracy, a system of government in which sovereignty resides with the people and decisions are made by majority rule.
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 is the thesis of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America?
In Democracy in America, de Toqueville’s main thesis is that the United States has, unlike France , developed a working, viable democracy and republic (non-monarchial state). He asks why this might be, and he comes up with several answers; he feels these answers will be useful for the European states.
Where does Tocqueville talk about tyranny of the majority?
Tocqueville, in the light of his “new political science,” calls this an “impious and detestable maxim.” In Volume 2, Part 2, Chapter 7 , “Of the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Effects,” he lays out his argument against this view.
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 ...
Which of the following is a value Alexis de Tocqueville saw as essentially America?
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 .
