Tocqueville

on Democracy
Alexis-Charles-Henri de Tocqueville
1805-1859
 Tocqueville (1805-1859)
Frenchman of noble birth
Jurist and public official
Influenced by the events
surrounding the French and
American revolutions
Seminal work: Democracy in
America
 Democracy
To Tocqueville, democracy has
two fundamental characteristics:
Liberty

Equality

Between these two, equality is

the defining characteristic
 Equality
Freedom may not be exercised
without equality
In a civil society, equality
entails equality of opportunity
In a democracy, true equality
consists in the equal right to
take part in government
 Political Power
It is because of equality that
political power becomes
centralized in a democracy
The more equality is enjoyed,
the greater the distaste for any
form of inequality
The solution is to vest power in
a central authority under which
all are equal
Democracy: Problems
Potential problems inherent to
democracies:
Tyranny of the majority

Democratic despotism

Individualism & Materialism

Class oppression
 Tyranny of the Majority
Majority rule is an instrument of
working democracies
Justice is based on what is
sanctioned by the majority
However, majorities can be wrong
They also inadvertently suppress
free thought and free expression
 Despotism
Despotism in democracies is of
a less tangible though equally
sinister kind
Democratic governments seek
to please their constituents
They become the sole judge of
what can make the people happy
This suppresses freedom, breeds
apathy and imposes uniformity
 Individualism
Equality tends to make peoples
interest focus on themselves
If citizens become too
individualistic, they will not
bother to fulfill their civic duties
or exercise their freedom
 Materialism
Materialism results from passion
for equality because people
think that they ought to be able
to have as much wealth as
everyone else
People neglect to use their
political freedom due to
personal pursuit of wealth
 Class Oppression
Manufacturers are favored in
democracies
Division of labor makes workers
more specialized at their tasks
Equality leads to greater
demand for goods
 Class Oppression
Workers are confined to their
specialized work
Those with capital invest and
control manufacturing ventures
Their status is elevated and
they learn new things
The relationship between rich
and poor is impersonal and
arms-length
 Solutions:
1. Autonomous public authorities
Those who can act in spite of
the general will
Independent and influential
judiciary
2. Strong executive branch
3. Local self-government
 Solutions:
4. Administrative decentralization
5. Religion
6. Well educated women
7. Freedom of association
8. Freedom of the press
 Tocqueville
The nations of our day cannot prevent
conditions of equality from spreading in
their midst. But it depends upon
themselves whether equality is to lead
to servitude or freedom, knowledge or
barbarism, prosperity or wretchedness.