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 Alexis de Tocqueville note as a downside of America’s political culture?
What did Alexis de Tocqueville note as a downside of America’s political culture? Americans are unwilling to accept those who don’t assimilate into their culture . Despite believing that we live in an equal society, America is anything but. The widespread nature of shared beliefs limits outside political discussion.
What did de Tocqueville say about American society?
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 ...
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 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 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 .
Which of the following did Alexis de Tocqueville assert to be the greatest danger to American democracy?
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.
Who first said tyranny of the majority?
While the specific phrase “tyranny of the majority” is frequently attributed to various Founding Fathers, only John Adams is known to have used it, arguing against government by a single unicameral elected body.
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.
What did Alexis de Tocqueville see as the source of American civic spirit?
What did Alexis de Tocqueville see as the source of American civic spirit? He wondered how a society is so devoted to materialism and self-interest could produce the civic spirit needed for self-government . ... The fondness American citizens have for banding together in organizations to address problems of common interest.
How does 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.
Why did Tocqueville wrote 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 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 did Tocqueville say was the key to democracy?
He thought that a vibrant religious life was essential to the preservation and prosperity of a free democratic society. Tocqueville thought that religion (and he was favorable to almost any kind of religion) was essential to democracy for many reasons.
What type of government had Tocqueville been raised in?
Alexis de Tocqueville was born during the reign of Napoleon, and he was raised in the aristocratic monarchy that followed Napoleon until 1830.
