Tocqueville And The Nature Of Democracy

Author : Pierre Manent
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 1996
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0847681165

Get Book

Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy by Pierre Manent Pdf

One of France's leading and most controversial political thinkers explores the central themes of Tocqueville's writings: the democratic revolution and the modern passion for equality. What becomes of people when they are overcome by this passion and how does it transform the contents of life? Pierre Manent's analysis concludes that the growth of state power and the homogenization of society are two primary consequences of equalizing conditions. The author shows the contemporary relevance of Tocqueville's teaching: to love democracy well, one must love it moderately. Manent examines the prophetic nature of Tocqueville's writings with breadth, clarity, and depth. His findings are both timely and highly relevant as people in Eastern Europe and around the world are grappling with the fragile, complicated, and frequently contradictory nature of democracy. This book is essential reading for students and scholars of political theory and political philosophy, as well as general readers interested in the nature of modern democracy.

Author : Alexis de Tocqueville
Publisher : Signet
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 1956
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105120249375

Get Book

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville Pdf

Democracy in America is a classic of political philosophy. Hailed by John Stuart Mill and Horace Greely as the finest book ever written on the nature of democracy, it continues to be an influential text on both sides of the Atlantic, above all in the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe.

Author : Alexis de Toqueville
Publisher : DigiCat
Page : 967 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2022-11-13
Category : Political Science
ISBN : EAN:8596547387480

Get Book

Democracy in America by Alexis de Toqueville Pdf

The primary focus of Democracy in America is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in so many other places. Also, Tocqueville speculates on the future of democracy in the United States, discussing possible threats to democracy and possible dangers of democracy. These include his belief that democracy has a tendency to degenerate into "soft despotism" as well as the risk of developing a tyranny of the majority. He observes that the strong role religion played in the United States was due to its separation from the government, a separation all parties found agreeable. Tocqueville also outlines the possible excesses of passion for equality among men, foreshadowing the totalitarian states of the twentieth century as well as the severity of contemporary political correctness.

Author : Alexis Tocqueville
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 992 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2003-04-24
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780141915692

Get Book

Democracy in America by Alexis Tocqueville Pdf

One of the most influential political texts ever written on America, and an indispensable authority on the nature of democracy In 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, a young French aristocrat and civil servant, made a nine-month journey through eastern America. The result was Democracy in America, a monumental study of the strengths and weaknesses of the nation's evolving politics. Tocqueville looked to the flourishing democratic system in America as a possible model for post-revolutionary France, believing its egalitarian ideals reflected the spirit of the age. This edition, the only one that contains all Tocqueville's writings on America, includes the rarely translated 'Two Weeks in the Wilderness', an evocative account of Tocqueville's travels among the Iroquois and Chippeway, and 'Excursion to Lake Oneida'. Translated by Gerald Bevan with an Introduction and Notes by Isaac Kramnick

Author : James W. Ceaser,Jack N. Rakove,Nancy L. Rosenblum,Rogers M. Smith
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2006-03-31
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0674021584

Get Book

Nature and History in American Political Development by James W. Ceaser,Jack N. Rakove,Nancy L. Rosenblum,Rogers M. Smith Pdf

In this inaugural volume of the Alexis de Tocqueville Lectures, Ceaser traces how certain “foundational” ideas—including nature, history, and religion—have been understood and used over the course of American history. Three commentators challenge his arguments, and a spirited debate about large and enduring questions in American politics ensues.

Author : Marinus Richard Ringo Ossewaarde
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 214 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Free enterprise
ISBN : 0415339510

Get Book

Tocqueville's Moral and Political Thought by Marinus Richard Ringo Ossewaarde Pdf

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Author : Peter Augustine Lawler
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0739107623

Get Book

Democracy and Its Friendly Critics by Peter Augustine Lawler Pdf

In this edited collection, Peter Lawler presents a lucid and comprehensive introduction to a diverse set of political issues according to Tocqueville. Democracy and Its Friendly Critics addresses a variety of modern political and social concerns, such as the moral dimension of democracy, the theoretical challenges to democracy in our time, the religious dimension of liberty, and the meaning of work in contemporary American Life. Taking innovative and unexpected approaches toward familiar topics, the essays present engaging insights into a democratic society, and the contributors include some of today's leading figures in political philosophy. No other collection on Tocqueville addresses contemporary American political issues in such a direct and accessible fashion, making this book a valuable resource for the study of political theory in America.

Author : Alan Ryan
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2014-08-11
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780871408198

Get Book

On Tocqueville: Democracy and America by Alan Ryan Pdf

Tocqueville’s gifts as an observer and commentator on American life and democracy are brought to vivid life in this splendid volume. In On Tocqueville, Alan Ryan brilliantly illuminates the observations of the French sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville, who first journeyed to the United States in 1831 and went on to catalog the unique features of the American social contract in his two-volume masterpiece, Democracy in America. Often thought of as the father of "American Exceptionalism," Tocqueville sought to observe the social conditions of emerging political equality in America, "a river that may be channeled but cannot be stopped in its course." In choosing America, he posed a central question of how a moderate, stable, and constitutional government is to be maintained in the wake of a revolution. As a dispassionate visitor, Tocqueville wanted to discover the social, moral, and economic arrangements that made liberty and self-government possible. In doing so, Tocqueville made a number of prescient observations about American life—whether it be the contrast between equality and liberty or Americans’ belief that they all belong to the middle class—that remain as relevant today as when they were first written. While Tocqueville is often praised by both conservatives and liberals, either for his distrust of big government and fondness for decentralized power or for his concern with association and community, both tend to overlook his contempt for the “coarse appearance” of the individual members of Congress as well as his enthusiasm for the brutal nature of our prison system. Alan Ryan examines the often complicated and elusive Democracy in America, tracing the influence of writers such as Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Guizot, and explaining Tocqueville’s original conceptions of equality and individualism within their historical context. In Ryan’s hands, On Tocqueville becomes the perfect introduction and guide to Democracy in America. On Tocqueville: Democracy and America features: • a chronology of Alexis de Tocqueville's life • an introduction and text by Alan Ryan that provides crucial context and cogent analysis • key excerpts from Democracy in America

Author : Joseph Epstein
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2009-10-13
Category : History
ISBN : 9780061747823

Get Book

Alexis de Tocqueville by Joseph Epstein Pdf

Alexis de Tocqueville was among the first foreigners to recognize the potential of a new land called the United States. His classic work Democracy in America, first published in 1835, was not only a vivid portrait of the new nation, but also a startlingly accurate forecast of its future. From the influence of evangelical Christianity to the advent of our “consumer society,” many of de Tocqueville’s predictions have come true. Bestselling author Joseph Epstein revisits de Tocqueville’s legacy, providing a fresh account of his classic travels in America. Epstein explains how de Tocqueville, introverted and prone to self-doubt, arrived at such a profoundly influential interpretation of this new country and its government. Alexis de Tocqueville: Democracy’s Guide is a compelling portrait of the Frenchman who would become an American icon. Joseph Epstein is the author of, among other books, Snobbery: The American Version, Fabulous Small Jews (a collection of stories), Envy, and Friendship: An Exposé. He was the editor of The American Scholar between 1974 and 1997, and for many years taught in the English Department at Northwestern University. His essays and stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Commentary, the Atlantic Monthly, and other magazines.

Author : Alexis de Tocqueville
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 922 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2014-12-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781443441711

Get Book

Democracy In America: Volume I & II by Alexis de Tocqueville Pdf

Over the course of nine months in 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political thinker, accompanied by Gustave de Beaumont, travelled the United States under the pretext of studying the American prison system. Over the course of his travels, Tocqueville also studied American society, religion, politics, and economics, undertaking what would become one of the most comprehensive studies to that time of the practice of democracy in the United States. First published in 1835, Democracy in America continues to be considered one of the foundational works of political science. Democracy in America: Volumes I and II includes both volumes of de Tocqueville’s influential work. Volume I explores the factors that contributed to the success of democracy in the United States, as well as the possible future of democracy in light of the unique religion and socio-economic factors that existed in the United States at that time. Volume II continues Tocqueville’s exploration of the nature of democracy in the United States, including an analysis of American civil society. HarperTorch brings great works of non-fiction and the dramatic arts to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperTorch collection to build your digital library.

Author : Harvey C. Mansfield
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2010-07-13
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0199746311

Get Book

Tocqueville: A Very Short Introduction by Harvey C. Mansfield Pdf

No one has ever described American democracy with more accurate insight or more profoundly than Alexis de Tocqueville. After meeting with Americans on extensive travels in the United States, and intense study of documents and authorities, he authored the landmark Democracy in America, publishing its two volumes in 1835 and 1840. Ever since, this book has been the best source for every serious attempt to understand America and democracy itself. Yet Tocqueville himself remains a mystery behind the elegance of his style. Now one of our leading authorities on Tocqueville explains him in this splendid new entry in Oxford's acclaimed Very Short Introduction series. Harvey Mansfield addresses his subject as a thinker, clearly and incisively exploring Tocqueville's writings--not only his masterpiece, but also his secret Recollections, intended for posterity alone, and his unfinished work on his native France, The Old Regime and the Revolution. Tocqueville was a liberal, Mansfield writes, but not of the usual sort. The many elements of his life found expression in his thought: his aristocratic ancestry, his ventures in politics, his voyages abroad, his hopes and fears for America, and his disappointment with France. All his writings show a passion for political liberty and insistence on human greatness. Perhaps most important, he saw liberty not in theories, but in the practice of self-government in America. Ever an opponent of abstraction, he offered an analysis that forces us to consider what we actually do in our politics--suggesting that theory itself may be an enemy of freedom. And that, Mansfield writes, makes him a vitally important thinker for today. Translator of an authoritative edition of Democracy in America, Harvey Mansfield here offers the fruit of decades of research and reflection in a clear, insightful, and marvelously compact introduction.

Author : Alan S. Kahan
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2015-08-06
Category : History
ISBN : 9780191503146

Get Book

Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion by Alan S. Kahan Pdf

The relationship between democracy and religion is as important today as it was in Alexis de Tocqueville's time. Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion is a ground-breaking study of the views of the greatest theorist of democracy writing about one of today's most crucial problems. Alan S. Kahan, one of today's foremost Tocqueville scholars, shows how Tocqueville's analysis of religion is simultaneously deeply rooted in his thoughts on nineteenth-century France and America and pertinent to us today. Tocqueville thought that the role of religion was to provide checks and balances for democracy in the spiritual realm, just as secular forces should provide them in the political realm. He believed that in the long run secular checks and balances were dependent on the success of spiritual ones. Kahan examines how Tocqueville thought religion had succeeded in checking and balancing democracy in America, and failed in France, as well as observing Tocqueville's less well-known analyses of religion in Ireland and England, and his perspective on Islam and Hinduism. He shows how Tocqueville's 'post-secular' account of religion can help us come to terms with religion today. More than a study of Tocqueville on religion in democratic society, this volume offers us a re-interpretation of Tocqueville as a moralist and a student of human nature in democratic society; a thinker whose new political science was in the service of a new moral science aimed at encouraging democratic people to attain greatness as human beings. Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion gives us a new Tocqueville for the twenty-first century.

Author : Alexis de Tocqueville
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2014-11-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781443441704

Get Book

Democracy In America: Volume II by Alexis de Tocqueville Pdf

Over the course of nine months in 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political thinker, and accompanied by Gustave de Beaumont, travelled the United States under the pretext of studying the American prison system. Over the course of his travels, Tocqueville also studied American society, religion, politics, and economics, undertaking what would become one of the most comprehensive studies to that time of the practice of democracy in the United States. Democracy in America: Volume II continues Tocqueville’s exploration of the nature of democracy in the United States, including an analysis of American civil society. Democracy in America was published in two volumes in 1835 and 1840, and is today considered one of the foundational works of political science. HarperTorch brings great works of non-fiction and the dramatic arts to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperTorch collection to build your digital library.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 1836
Category : Democracy
ISBN : HARVARD:HNQNWK

Get Book

A Review of M. de Tocqueville's Work on Democracy in America ... by Anonim Pdf

Author : Eduardo Nolla
Publisher : NYU Press
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 1996-07-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780814759295

Get Book

Liberty, Equality, Democracy by Eduardo Nolla Pdf

This volumes explores the whole range of Alexis Tocqueville's ideas, from his political, literary and sociological theories to his concept of history, his religious beliefs, and his philosophical doctrines. Among the topics considered are: Tocqueville's beliefs about foreign policy as applied to American democracy; Tocqueville and Machiavelli on the art of being free; Tocqueville and the historical sociology of state; virtue and politics in Tocqueville; Tocqueville's debt to Rousseau and Pascal; Tocqueville's analysis of the role of religion in preserving American democracy; Tocqueville and American literary critics; and Tocqueville and the postmodern refusal of history. The different approaches to Tocqueville's classical work represented in this book, combined with the frequent use of unpublished sources, present a fresh and renewed vision of his classic Democracy in America, reinforcing after a century and a half its reputation as the most modern, provocative, and profound attempt to explain the nature of democracy. Contributing to the volume are: Pierre Birnbaum (University of Sorbonne), Herbert Dittgen (University of Goettingen), Joseph Alulis (Lake Forest College), Dalmacio Negro (Universidad Complutense, Madrid), Peter A. Lawler (Berry College), Catherine Zuckert (Carleton College), Francesco de Sanctis (Naples University), Hugh Brogan (University of Essex), Cushing Strout (Cornell University), Gisela Schlueter (Universitaet Hannover), Roger Boesche (Occidental College), Edward T. Gargan (University of Wisconsin), and James T. Schleifer (College of New Rochelle).