Understanding the Success of Tocqueville's Democracy in America, Summaries of Political Science

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An Analysis of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America By Elizabeth Morrow

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Key Points

• Alexis de Tocqueville was a French historian and political thinker. He was born in Paris in 1805 and died in the French city of Cannes in April 1859, aged 53.
• His seminal work Democracy in America described the United States of America in the 1830s. The book attempted to explain America’s success in introducing a democratic* form of government.
• Democracy in America introduced a new way of thinking about democracy in Europe by showing that democracies really could work. Who Was Alexis de Tocqueville? Alexis de Tocqueville was born in Paris in 1805, the third son of an aristocratic French couple. His parents lived through the French Revolution* of 1789, a time of great social upheaval, and remained loyal to the royal family that had occupied the French throne since the sixteenth century—the Bourbons.* The year before Tocqueville’s birth, the military leader Napoleon Bonaparte* had been crowned Emperor of France following several years spent consolidating his power. Although he was deposed in 1814 and the Bourbons restored to the throne, by the time Tocqueville was in his mid 20s, opinion in France was again turning against the monarchy. Sensing a shift in the political climate, and convinced that France would abandon its monarchy and become a democracy, Tocqueville became interested in the United States of America. The nation was the world’s first modern democracy following the declaration of independence of 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies in 1776; two years later, it had become an ally of France on the signing of a treaty in 1778. Tocqueville decided to study the American system at first hand, wanting to understand how the Americans had made their democracy work. By doing so, he hoped to help the French introduce democracy successfully. He also hoped that his knowledge of America would give him political clout in France. It should be noted that, although Tocqueville had trained as a lawyer, his ambition was to become a politician. Together with his friend Gustave de Beaumont,* Tocqueville set sail for the United States in 1831 to spend nine months traveling. He published the first volume of Democracy in America in 1835; the second volume followed five

Local societies played an important role in a working democracy, Tocqueville noted. Americans from all walks of life and of all ages regularly came together to form groups—something that did not happen in the Europe of the 1830s. These groups could have any aim or reason for coming together at all. They could meet for religious, sporting, or philanthropic (that is, charitable or humanitarian) reasons, or simply for enjoyment; it did not matter. For Tocqueville, what was key was the fact that individuals chose to form groups in the spirit of sharing and involvement. He felt that these groups helped to keep state power under control. The fact that they existed showed that individual initiative was alive and well. They were not formed because the state had decided they should be but, rather, because individuals had decided to form them. To Tocqueville, that showed a resilient and resourceful society rather than an unthinking, conformist one. And a society that formed groups to pursue certain goals could easily create its own forums where minority opinions could be heard. As part of a group, those opinions would have more weight and would be heard more widely. Tocqueville believed that this kind of social activity would greatly benefit Europe. Why Does Democracy in America Matter? When the first volume of Democracy in America was published in 1835, it introduced a new way of thinking about democracy. Although some authors before Tocqueville had argued that democracy was dangerous, that was not because they thought it would lead to conformity and minority views being heard less. On the contrary, they worried that democracy would lead to anarchy,* with nobody recognizing authority. Tocqueville made his readers think differently. He showed that democracies really could work. He suggested that countries across Europe were already moving towards a democratic system and argued that creating a system of checks and balances to state control would make democracy healthier. Although democratic government is tried and tested today, Tocqueville’s ideas are still relevant. In America, thinkers on both ends of the political spectrum respond to his concept of democratic despotism. Thinkers on the right believe democratic despotism would be created by expanding the welfare state,* a system where the government plays a large role in the protection of the economic and social status of its citizens. They argue that when the government provides too much protection, then it creates dependent citizens. Thinkers on the left, meanwhile, believe that it is potentially dangerous for power to become overly centralized, since this might lead a government to feel itself capable of operating independently of the law.

Tocqueville’s ideas about the importance of social clubs and societies also inform current political debates. Some academics, having researched group membership, have concluded that these societies benefit both individuals and the political system. The fact that other academics disagree suggests that Tocqueville’s ideas continue to stimulate debate and research. They both continue to challenge the reader to think about the way power is distributed in different political systems and encourage readers to think about how systems of government are maintained. If Tocqueville’s observations about America remain fascinating for readers today it is, in part, because he made so many accurate predictions about America's future. He predicted that America and Russia would end up as superpowers. He predicted that they would have opposing political systems. He predicted that slavery would threaten the future of the Union (although he believed that the battle would be between the black and white populations of the South, whereas it turned out to be between the northern and southern states). And he predicted that the indigenous peoples of America would come close to destruction. Tocqueville’s foresight in all of these matters enhanced his reputation. But even without this impressive understanding, Democracy in America is still a fascinating read. It provides a wealth of information about America in the early 1830s and, many people believe, continues to reveal truths about America and its citizens today.