Democracy in America

I'd never read de Tocqueville and the text is indeed very stimulating and enlightening. But this book is so physically unwieldy -- and somehow rather unattractive as well -- that it's horribly unpleasant to read. I ended up physically tearing the book in two but it's still not good and I'd suggest buying another edition -- whether or not this translation is the best one and apparently that's controversial (but I have nothing to contribute on that as have not read another), I'd settle for a worse translation even if it is and a more physically pleasant book.

I really enjoyed reading this in the original French, but I found the translation cumbersome and misleading at times. I understand that Mansfield was trying to translate as literally as possible, but there are words for which literal translation yields English words with different meanings than the original French. If you can't read French and the Mansfield translation is required for your class, I would suggest that you also look at another translation to see where there are discrepancies, especially if you're writing a paper on Tocqueville.

Alexis De Tocqueville was simply of one of the great social scientists writing about America and Democracy. From reading the book I deduced that Tocqueville was a social scientist before Marx! He compares European culture and government with the fledgling culture and democracy he observes in America. He is very much impressed with what he sees taking place in America in the 1830's and hopes it will spread to Europe. He at first believed that America's prosperity was simply due to geography and their distance from powerful neighbors, he abandons this idea after his visit to America. He comes to realize that the West is not being peopled "by new European immigrants to America, but by Americans who he believes have no adversity to taking risks." Tocqueville comes to see that Americans are the most broadly educated and politically advanced people in the world and one of the reasons for the success of our form of government. He also foretells America's industrial preeminence and strength through the unfettered spread of ideas and human industry.

Tocqueville also saw the insidious damage that the institution of slavery was causing the country and predicted some 30 years before the Civil War that slavery would probable cause the states to fragment from the union. He also the emergence of stronger states rights over the power of the federal government. He held fast to his belief that the greatest danger to democracy was the trend toward the concentration of power by the federal government. He predicted wrongly that the union would probably break up into two or three countries because of regional interests and differences. This idea is the only one about America that he gets wrong. Despite some of his misgivings, Tocqueville, saw that democracy is an "inescapable development" of the modern world. The arguments in the "Federalist Papers" were greater then most people realized. He saw a social revolution coming that continues throughout the world today.

Tocqueville realizes at the very beginning of the "industrial revolution" how industry, centralization, and democracy strengthened each other and moved forward together. I am convinced that Tocqueville is still the preeminent observer of America but is also the father of social science. A must read for anyone interested in American history, political philosophy or the social sciences.

For years, I knew "Democracy in America" as a real classic. But sometimes I omit reading classics. Fortunately, just now, after 173 years of the first french edition, I have as an argentine reader, discovered it as the most essential work about democracy and America. I think Tocqueville's masterpiece is an indispensable guide to understanding american national character. Deserves the faithful translation and the contribution of a deep introduction and comments of this fine edition.

This is a classic treatise by a French aristocrat who comprehensively examines the underpinnings of American democatic institutions. Including the rights and powers provided by the Consitution, forms of governments, and concepts of freedom and equality. In this book he also analyzes the influence of democratic values on intellectual movements, customs and political society. This treatise was originally written in 1835.