The Virtues and Vices of Democratic Governments According to Tocqueville

1572 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Tocqueville on democratic weaknesses

The Virtues and Vices of Democratic Governments According to Tocqueville

Democracy in America was written by Tocqueville to see how such a

stable and prosperous democracy as America worked and to see why

attempts at democratic government in France had failed so

disastrously. The theme of the (often disorganised) book that emerges

is how liberty is best preserved in the midst of the growing equality

of conditions present in America. Tocqueville outlines many of the

advantages he sees in democracy from the point of view of a French

liberal. On the other hand, he also warns of the dangers of democratic

government which manifests itself in many ways. Elements exist,

however, within the American political system, that act against these

dangerous democratic tendencies, and that is why, on the whole,

Tocqueville is so admiring of American democracy.

“Democratic laws tend to promote the welfare of the greatest number.”[1]

It is clear that giving each citizen (which does not include certain

groups, for example, slaves) the ability to choose the government that

their interests will be served, rather than interests of an

aristocracy or other minority. Therefore, from a utilitarian point of

view, democracy helps establish what the interests of the majority are

in society, and helps put those interests at the forefront of

decision-making. Tocqueville refutes the claim made by some that

democracy favours the prosperity of all. It does not do so, but merely

“contributes to the well-being of the greatest number”[2]. The

corollary of this is that this leads to a ‘tyranny of the majority’,

which will be discussed later.

A second advantage of de...

... middle of paper ...

...de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[2] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[3] Jack Lively, Social and Political Thought of Alexis de Tocqueville

[4] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[5] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[6] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[7] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[8] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[9] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[10] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[11] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[12] Alexis de Tocqueville, Journeys to England and Ireland

[13] Siedentrop, Two Liberal Traditions

[14] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[15] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

[16] Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Show More
Related

  • A New England Town Sparknotes

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society, American citizens tend to believe that America has been, “American” since the day that Christopher Columbus set foot in the Bahamas. This is a myth that has been in our society for a multitude of years now. In A New England Town by Kenneth A. Lockridge, he proves that America was not always democratic. Additionally, he proves that America has not always been “American”, by presenting the town of Dedham in 1635. Lockridge presents this town through the course of over one hundred years, in that time many changes happened as it made its way to a type of democracy.

    Read More

  • Tocqueville´s Faults of Democracy in America

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tocqueville seems to like democracy in its ideal form. However, nothing can be perfect and thus America is not a perfect democracy. Tocqueville found numerous problems with democracy and the influence it had on the populace. These problems range from their distrust of dogmatic beliefs to the imperfect equality that is in place in America. He also found the effects of these problems to be quite problematic as well. For instance, individualism, an effect of equality, is very problematic to democracy. Tocqueville enjoys considering America as an experiment in democracy, but does not find it to be faultless.

    Read More

  • Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alexis de Tocqueville's visit to the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century prompted his work Democracy in America, in which he expressed the ability to make democracy work. Throughout his travels Tocqueville noted that private interest and personal gain motivated the actions of most Americans, which in turn cultivated a strong sense of individualism. Tocqueville believed that this individualism would soon "sap the virtue of public life" (395) and create a despotism of selfishness. This growth of despotism would be created by citizens becoming too individualistic, and therefore not bothering to fulfill their civic duties or exercise their freedom. Tocqueville feared that the political order of America would soon become aimed at the satisfaction of individual needs, rather than the greater good of society. Alexis de Tocqueville viewed participation in public affairs, the growth of associations and newspapers, the principle of self-interest properly understood, and religion as the only means by which American democracy could combat the effects of individualism.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Locke And Tocqueville

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    For both Tocqueville in his “Democracy in America” and Locke in his “Second Treatise of Civil Government”, liberty holds a place of paramount importance in the pantheon of political values, specifically those in relation to democratic and republican systems (though Locke does not explicitly demand a republic as Tocqueville does) . From Tocqueville’s belief in the supremacy of liberty over equality , to Locke’s inclusion and conflation of liberty with property and life itself in his natural rights , liberty plays the crucial role of linchpin in both author’s political philosophy. Though this belief in the centrality of liberty is found in both Tocqueville and Locke, they each derivate liberty from fundamentally disparate sources, and thus hold

    Read More

  • Alexis de Tocqueville: Democracy in America

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    Democracy in America has been a guiding principle since the foundation of the country. Many over the years have commented on the structure and formation of democracy but more importantly the implementation and daily function within the democratic parameters that have been set. Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian born July 29, 1805. He is most famously known for his work Democracy in America. Democracy in America has been an evolving social and economic reform, and has continually changed since it’s founding.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons De Tocqueville

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    America is viewed around the world as the land of opportunities, where anyone willing to work hard and help their neighbor is welcomed with open arms. The one thing that many seek out of the United States is the equality and natural rights bestowed upon all in the Bill of Rights. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat, wrote about the United States and the basic founding principles of its democracy as well as how the people of America utilize their rights to create a better common good for everyone. The communal effort, to Tocqueville, symbolized an equality of conditions that would slowly filter itself into law, creating laws for the betterment of society as a whole and not just the individual. He also believes that the progress of equality

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Pierre Trudeau's The Unjust Society

    1614 Words  | 4 Pages

    Harold Cardinal made a bold statement in his book, The Unjust Society, in 1969 about the history of Canada’s relationship with Aboriginal peoples. His entire book is, in fact, a jab at Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s idea of ‘the just society’. Pierre Elliott Trudeau made great assumptions about First Nations people by declaring that Aboriginal people should be happy about no longer being described as Indian. His goal was to rid Canada of Indians by assimilating them into the Canadian framework. Considered by many as a progressive policy, Trudeau’s white paper demonstrates just how accurate the following statement made by Harold Cardinal at the beginning of his book is : “The history of Canada’s Indians is a shameful chronicle of the white man’s disinterest,

    Read More

  • The Quest Of Democracy Analysis

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kyi Suu San Aung. "The Quest of Democracy." Reading The World: Ideas That Matter, edited

    Read More

  • Constitutionalism: The Tyranny Of The Majority

    371 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this excerpt from Democracy in America Alexis Tocqueville expresses his sentiments about the United States democratic government. Tocqueville believes the government's nature exists in the absolute supremacy of the majority, meaning that those citizens of the United States who are of legal age control legislation passed by the government. However, the power of the majority can exceed its limits. Tocqueville believed that the United States was a land of equality, liberty, and political wisdom. He considered it be a land where the government only served as the voice of the its citizens. He compares the government of the US to that of European systems. To him, European governments were still constricted by aristocratic privilege, the people had no hand in the formation of their government, let alone, there every day lives. He held up the American system as a successful model of what aristocratic European systems would inevitably become, systems of democracy and social equality. Although he held the American democratic system in high regards, he did have his concerns about the systems shortcomings. Tocqueville feared that the virtues he honored, such as creativity, freedom, civic participation, and taste, would be endangered by "the tyranny of the majority." In the United States the majority rules, but whose their to rule the majority. Tocqueville believed that the majority, with its unlimited power, would unavoidably turn into a tyranny. He felt that the moral beliefs of the majority would interfere with the quality of the elected legislators. The idea was that in a great number of men there was more intelligence, than in one individual, thus lacking quality in legislation. Another disadvantage of the majority was that the interests of the majority always were preferred to that of the minority. Therefore, giving the minority no chance to voice concerns.

    Read More

  • The Sierra Club as an Interest Group

    1864 Words  | 4 Pages

    Janda, Kenneth, Jeffrey M. Berry and Jerry Goldman. The Challenge of Democracy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

    Read More

  • Democratic Deficit in Canada

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Canadian constitution is bereft of democratic legitimacy; an alluring term for political democratic deficit. Over the past years, the unsuccessful attempts to reform its laws have made passing new bills and regulations almost an unreachable goal for every newly elected prime minister. This inflexibility in adapting new laws made the fundamental principles of the Canadian constitution knew only few reforms. The lack of democratic accountability in the Canadian parliamentary democracy is demonstrated not only in its electoral system, but also in its national parliament and at the federal level of its politics. Many reforms must be addressed in order to make the Canadian democracy healthier.

    Read More

  • Democracy In The 17th Century Essay

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    The United States’ strive for a democratic society dates back to the 17th Century when englishmen led a Protestant movement called Puritanism. The development of Puritanism was in response to King Henry VIII’s separation from the Roman Catholic Church , leading to the creation of the Anglican Church. When the “Church of England” was formed , many of the Puritans made great efforts in “purifying” the church because they felt felt the Church violated biblical principles of true Christians. In turn, Monarchs persecuted Puritans for not adhering to the practices Anglican Church. This partisanship in religion ultimately led numerous amounts of Puritans fleeing England, giving up on the Anglican Church all together. In 1620, these

    Read More

  • Government and Politics - The Original Constitution Did Not Have Many Democratic Traits

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    In two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, Americans fought and died so that democracy would prevail around the world. In the minds of many Americans, America is the bastion of democracy. But how democratic is America? Today’s America was “born” with the signing of the constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, it was determined how democratic America would be. And every American should ask himself how democratic America was made at that constitutional convention in Philadelphia.

    Read More

  • America's Democracy

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    The political culture that defines American politics shows that despite this compromise, America is still very much a democratic society. The very history of the country, a major contributor to the evolution of its political culture, shows a legacy of democracy that reaches from the Declaration of Independence through over two hundred years to today’s society. The formation of the country as a reaction to the tyrannical rule of a monarchy marks the first unique feature of America’s democratic political culture. It was this reactionary mindset that greatly affected many of the decisions over how to set up the new governmental system. A fear of simply creating a new, but just as tyrannic... ...

    Read More

  • Pros Of Conserving The Electoral College

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States of America, which is typically characterized as the beacon of democracy, has been surpassed by nations that better exemplify democratic principles. It is common knowledge that decisions are made by representatives rather than through direct democracy. These representatives are not always directly chosen by the people, but rather through convoluted partisan processes. The idea of democracy as opposed to monarchy became popular during the Enlightenment in Europe. The ideals and principles explored during that time are woven into modern government. The idea that protections must be made against tyranny of the majority and minority were also developed in this time. In the United States, one such protection is the Electoral College,

    Read More

More about The Virtues and Vices of Democratic Governments According to Tocqueville

Open Document