Many of his insightful observations american society and political system, found in the two volume book he published after. In this introduction author tocqueville presents his overall impression of america and what he found most striking. The necessity of examining the condition of the states before that of the union at large. His 9month go to and subsequent studying and reflection resulted in democracy in america 1835forty, a landmark masterpiece of political remark and evaluation. Origin and importance of the angloamericans chapter 4. Macats analyses are definitive studies of the most important books and. When tocqueville visited america in the 1830s he found a thriving democracy of a kind he had not seen anywhere else. Table of contents volume i authors introduction chapter 1. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Democracy in america school of english and american.
As you read it, you might think about how much of what he said in the 1830s still rings true. Examining the condition of the states before that of the union chapter 6. Democracy in america chapter summaries course hero. First american edition of tocqueville s magnum opus. Welcome to the ways in section of this macat analysis. The principle of the sovereignty of the people of north america. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Although franceand europe in generalhave long been home to aristocratic monarchies where a king and queen rule but an aristocratic class also retains power and privileges based on birth, equality of condition a leveling out of social class hierarchies is increasingly. This portable document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. The american revolution then popularized this principle, followed by the constitutional convention of 1787. Origin of the angloamericans, and the importance of this origin in relation to their future condition. Origin of the angloamericans and its future importance chapter 3. Henry reeve is a publication of the pennsylvania state university.
After barely escaping the guillotine, his parents escaped to england. Tocqueville in michigan central michigan university. He is best known for his works democracy in america appearing in two. This is an introductory section, summarising the most important points of this work in one 10minute read. Unlimited power of majority, and its consequences part i chapter summary. Having seen the failed attempts at a democratic government in his native france, tocqueville set out to study a stable and prosperous democracy in order to gain insight into how it work. Democracy in america 18351840 is arguably the most perceptive and influential book ever written about american politics and society. Specifically, he wanted to find out about the role of the american citizen in this new. During his lifetime he was responsible for the authorship of democracy in america and the old regime and the french revolution we focused on the latter in class. A new translation by arthur goldhammer library of america. First american edition of tocquevilles magnum opus. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk.
The first time i delved into it was back in 1971, when i was assistant to conservative writer and thinker, dr. Natural strength of the majority in democracies most of the american constitutions have increased this strength by artificial means how this has been done pledged delegates moral power of the majority opinion as to its infallibility. Apr 20, 2010 please support my efforts at bringing quality private education to nyc by donating to the lyceum. The abridged edition of the enduring masterworka classic portrait of americas culture and people.
1241 96 312 67 29 86 880 251 2 561 384 795 1371 760 429 1241 504 654 358 467 35 766 179 893 922 295 883 309 832 1378 917 1154 331 273 23 179