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Tocqueville’s Biography (adapted from the Encyclopaedia Britannica) Alexis de Tocqueville (France, 1805 – 1859) was a political scientist, historian, and politician, best known for ‘Democracy in America’, 4 vol. (1835–40), a perceptive analysis of the political and social system of the United States in the early 19th century. Tocqueville belonged to an aristocratic family. As a magistrate he was soon involved into government affairs, showing his sympathy for the Liberals. The July Revolution of 1830 that put the “citizen king” Louis-Philippe of Orléans on the throne was a turning point for Tocqueville. It deepened his conviction that France was moving rapidly toward complete social equality. Breaking with the older liberal generation, he no longer compared France with the English constitutional monarchy but compared it with democratic America. Despite his oath of loyalty to the new monarch, his position had become precarious because of his family ties with the ousted Bourbon king. He and his friend Beaumont, seeking to escape from their uncomfortable political situation, asked for and received official permission to study the controversial problem of prison reforms in America. They also hoped to return with knowledge of a society that would mark them as especially fit to help mold France’s political future. Prepare an oral summary of the text, using ONLY your own words. You can write some notes below. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. The Visit to the United States and Tocqueville’s book Tocqueville and Beaumont spent nine months in the United States during 1831 and 1832, out of which came Tocqueville’s book Democracy in America (1835–40). On the basis of observations, readings, and discussions with a host of eminent Americans, Tocqueville attempted to penetrate directly to the essentials of American society and to highlight that aspect—equality of conditions—that was most relevant to his own philosophy. Tocqueville’s study analyzed the vitality, the excesses, and the potential future of American democracy. The first part of the book, published in 1835, was infused with his message that a society, properly organized, could hope to retain liberty in a democratic social order. In the second part of the book, which appeared in 1840, Tocqueville attempted to complete a picture of the influence of equality itself on all aspects of modern society. France increasingly became his principal example. He observed the curtailment of liberties by the Liberals, who had come to power in 1830, as well as the growth of state intervention in economic development. Most depressing to him was the increased political apathy and acquiescence of his fellow citizens. His chapters on democratic individualism and centralization in Democracy in America contained a new warning based on these observations. He argued that a mild, stagnant despotism was the greatest threat to democracy. Put the aspects concerning America and France in the corresponding columns. AMERICA FRANCE What can you understand about Tocqueville’s worries regarding democracy?