Alexis De Tocqueville

This title opens a new window into the life and thought of Alexis de Tocqueville, presenting him as not only a political thinker but also a person deeply shaped by the tensions and ideals of his time. Known for Democracy in America, Tocqueville’s insights into American democracy have often overshadowed his reflections on French society, friendship, and personal struggles. This compilation of letters, many unpublished in English before, spans his political career, his friendships, and his inner conflicts, revealing his ongoing battle between intellectual ideals and the harsh realities of the political landscape. His letters bring to light a Tocqueville who was both drawn to political action and increasingly disillusioned by the self-serving nature of his era’s middle class. Tocqueville’s correspondence reveals a figure influenced by both Enlightenment rationalism and Romanticism’s emphasis on feeling and individuality. While often critical of Romantic melancholy, he was himself plagued by existential doubt and frustration over the limited impact of his political actions. He viewed society’s growing emphasis on materialism and self-interest as symptoms of a broader decline, leaving him torn between admiration for civic virtues and disappointment in the era’s lack of ambition. Religion and friendship emerge as stabilizing forces in his life, with his close bond with Gustave de Beaumont standing out as a source of both comfort and challenge. The letters show how Tocqueville’s personal relationships and ethical convictions shaped his intellectual pursuits and his concerns for France’s future. The editors, Roger Boesche and James Toupin, present these letters with careful translation and thorough contextual notes, giving readers both the historical background and access to Tocqueville’s unique literary style. The work provides readers with a portrait of a man wrestling with the challenges of his age, caught between democratic ideals and the evolving reality of French society. For modern readers, these letters illuminate how Tocqueville’s personal struggles informed his enduring political insights, highlighting his belief in community and civic duty as essential defenses against tyranny. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1985.

This title opens a new window into the life and thought of Alexis de Tocqueville, presenting him as not only a political thinker but also a person deeply shaped by the tensions and ideals of his time. Known for Democracy in America, Tocqueville’s insights into American democracy have often overshadowed his reflections on French society, friendship, and personal struggles. This compilation of letters, many unpublished in English before, spans his political career, his friendships, and his inner conflicts, revealing his ongoing battle between intellectual ideals and the harsh realities of the political landscape. His letters bring to light a Tocqueville who was both drawn to political action and increasingly disillusioned by the self-serving nature of his era’s middle class. Tocqueville’s correspondence reveals a figure influenced by both Enlightenment rationalism and Romanticism’s emphasis on feeling and individuality. While often critical of Romantic melancholy, he was himself plagued by existential doubt and frustration over the limited impact of his political actions. He viewed society’s growing emphasis on materialism and self-interest as symptoms of a broader decline, leaving him torn between admiration for civic virtues and disappointment in the era’s lack of ambition. Religion and friendship emerge as stabilizing forces in his life, with his close bond with Gustave de Beaumont standing out as a source of both comfort and challenge. The letters show how Tocqueville’s personal relationships and ethical convictions shaped his intellectual pursuits and his concerns for France’s future. The editors, Roger Boesche and James Toupin, present these letters with careful translation and thorough contextual notes, giving readers both the historical background and access to Tocqueville’s unique literary style. The work provides readers with a portrait of a man wrestling with the challenges of his age, caught between democratic ideals and the evolving reality of French society. For modern readers, these letters illuminate how Tocqueville’s personal struggles informed his enduring political insights, highlighting his belief in community and civic duty as essential defenses against tyranny. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1985.

A study of our national government and character follows the author's concern about the effect of majority rule on the rights of individuals and provides insight into the rewards and responsibilities of a democratic government.

The nineteenth-century French writer examines the development of democratic government in the United States and the state of political and social life

Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" is a profound and incisive examination of American society in the early 19th century. Written by a French aristocrat who traveled across the United States, this classic work offers a brilliant analysis of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the American democratic system. Tocqueville explores the dynamics of equality, freedom, and the impact of democratic principles on American life, from politics to social norms. His observations provide timeless insights into the nature of democracy and its influence on individual character and societal structures. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding the roots and evolution of American democracy, this book remains a vital touchstone for discussions on governance and society.

Unver nderter Nachdruck der Originalausgabe von 1867. Der Verlag Antigonos spezialisiert sich auf die Herausgabe von Nachdrucken historischer B cher. Wir achten darauf, dass diese Werke der ffentlichkeit in einem guten Zustand zug nglich gemacht werden, um ihr kulturelles Erbe zu bewahren.

THE FIRST EXAMINATION OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA AND WHY IT WORKED IN AMERICA AND FAILED IN MOST OTHER PLACES.Alexis de Tocqueville believed political equality, common in early America, built a strong foundation for democracy, a kind of government in which power belongs with the people and choices are made by the majority. De Tocqueville explains why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in so many other places. Democracy in America is part of the U.S. Heritage series a book that helped establish and form the United States of America. The revolutionary ideas and inspirational writings are included in this book for everyone, for students of all ages, to people who are actively involved in politics and their community and anyone interested in the amazing birth and history of America.LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN!HUMANIX BOOKS U.S. Heritage series is the definitive collection of political writings and history of the Founding Fathers that paved the way for the United States of America to become the indispensable nation and THE example of Democracy, Liberty and Freedom in the world.

The continuation of Alexis de Tocqueville’s great meditation on the origins and meanings of the French Revolution. With his monumental work The Old Regime and the Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59)—best known for his classic Democracy in America—envisioned a multivolume philosophical study of the origins of modern France that would examine the implications of French history on the nature and development of democratic society. Volume I, which covered the eighteenth-century background to the Revolution, was published to great acclaim in 1856. On the continuation of this project, he wrote: "When this Revolution has finished its work, [this volume] will show what that work really was, and what the new society which has come from that violent labor is, what the Revolution has taken away and what it has preserved from that old regime against which it was directed." Tocqueville died in the midst of this work. Here in Volume II is all that he had completed, including the chapters he started for a work on Napoleon, notes and analyses he made in the course of researching and writing the first volume, and his notes on his preparation for his continuation. More than ever before, readers will be able to glean how Tocqueville's account of the Revolution would have come out, had he lived to finish it. This handsomely produced volume completes the set and is essential reading for anyone interested in the French Revolution or in Tocqueville’s thought.