About this title: The Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville wrote this classic in French after traveling across America. It is divided into two sections: the first, on government; the second, on the American character. It is considered one of the most perceptive and enduring descriptions of America and Americans ever written.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780060915223ISBN:0060915226
Description: Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dustcover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "from the library of" labels. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780060915223ISBN:0060915226
Description: Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dustcover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "from the library of" labels. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Signet
Date Published: 1956
ISBN-13:9780451628015ISBN:0451628012
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Edition: Abridged
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Signet
Date Published: 1956-02-01
ISBN-13:9780451628015ISBN:0451628012
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
"I'll start by saying that I'm not sure what gives a 25 year-old rich French kid on a pleasure cruise through the New World the credibility to make completely unsupported assertions on the political and social climate of early America, and have them be accepted as gospel. After slogging through 300 or so pages, I'm exceedingly grateful that this abridged version exists, because I can't imagine ever wasting the time on the complete edition. I was interested in reading a book that has been hailed for its perpetual timeliness, foresight, and penetrating insight into early American democracy, but I was sorely disappointed on every single front.
Tocqueville does occasionally make some interesting observations. In the beginning he spends a significant amount of time talking about the political power inherent in the townships (i.e. small, local groups), which is an incredibly important point, and one still relevant today. It was also particularly interesting to me after reading Hannah Arendt's On Revolution, where she heavily emphasizes the same (Incidentally, I highly recommend Arendt's analysis of the beginning of our country and the formation of the Constitution -- it is much more penetrating than Tocqueville, mainly because she's insanely brilliant.). Later in the book, there is a 2-3 page section in chapter 34 ("How An Aristocracy May Be Created By Manufactures") that I found particularly prescient, essentially describing the division and alienation of labor about a half-century before Marx popularized the idea.
These two observations were about the extent of the positives. The rest is so mired in sweeping generalizations and arrogant condescension as to be virtually worthless. His analysis of the manners and temperament of the American people is completely irrelevant now, but couldn't have been much more relevant then, since it was based on only one man's observation, and since he was clearly writing with an aristocratic chip on his shoulder. His predictions, which are hailed as so sage, are wrong at least half the time, making him about as wise as me. My favorite was when he talked about how unlikely it would be for the U.S. to experience a civil war, and this a whopping 25 years before civil war broke out.
There are two huge oversights that led Tocqueville to severely miscalculate America's trajectory. One, the rise of corporations and their near-invincible power, was only hinted at in chapter 34, but its omission is forgiveable since the phenomenon was not necessarily intuitive. In reality, Tocqueville's "tyranny of the majority" is a red herring, because an elite oligarchy ended up controlling everything more or less by the beginning of the 20th century. His other oversight, however, was less pardonable. He spent shockingly little time talking about how easily manipulable by propaganda his tyrannical majority would be. This would essentially make them a tool of the wealthy elite. His only references to public opinion were oblique and clearly not indicating anything like the extent of the media manipulation that we started to see, again around the turn of the 20th century. His reference to a free press hints at it, but the omission of a deeper discussion is noticeable.
I could give more examples, through quotations, of some of the generalizations I'm talking about, but I honestly don't want to waste the time. Instead, I'll give my favorite quote, from chapter 48 ("Why Great Revolutions Will Become More Rare"). I like it because it is actually timely, describing pretty deftly what is going on right now in the U.S.: . . .When property becomes so fluctuating, and the love of property so restless and so ardent, I cannot but fear that men may arrive at such a state as to regard every new theory as a peril, every innovation as an irksome toil, every social improvement as a stepping-stone to revolution, and so refuse to move altogether for fear of being moved too far. I dread, and I confess it, lest they should at last so entirely give way to a cowardly love of present enjoyment, as to lose sight of the interests of their future selves and those of their descendants; and prefer to glide along the easy current of life, rather than to make, when it is necessary, a strong and sudden effort to a higher purpose. I must admit that overall I am glad to have gotten the general idea of what people are talking about when they refer to Tocqueville. After thinking two stars (based mostly on enjoyability and disappointed expectations), I have to go ahead with three, just because of the scope of the thing. It's darn impressive to pen a thousand page study of the political and social landscape of early America. Even if you're only right around half the time, it still takes a pair to give it a go. And I respect that.
Caveat: I read the 320 page abridged version, so some of my complaints may be simple misunderstandings due to ignorance."
"This book is (of course) very dated now, but it gives the reader an excellent idea of how America came to be, and also shows how American "values" have not changed over time. Clearly Tocqueville is a bit enamored with the America that he sees, but he manages to do a thorough and not always positive review of what constitutes the country. Much of it is contrasting Americans of the time with the rest of the world. As an American, this is a valuable book to read for a better understanding of the beginnings of this country, and how the nation has improved itself since this was written. BEWARE: This is a very, very, very long book. Think of it more as a textbook than a simple nonfiction. You will not be able to read this book in ten "sittings." I recommend reading it in parallel with something lighter (or several lighter books over time). Or, focus on a part of the study that interests you, and read that part (as you might a textbook)."
"This text possesses historical insight in the same way that Civilization and its Discontents possesses psychological and sociological insight. Wow!
Words of Wisdom: How do you pick!!! "It is not necessary that God himself should speak in order that we may discover the unquestionable signs of His will. It is enough to ascertain what is the habitual course of nature and the constant tendency of events. I know, without special revelation, that the planets move in the orbits traced by the Creator's hand" (7).
"I am ignorant of his designs, but I shall not cease to believe in them because I cannot fathom them, and I had rather mistrust my own capacity that his justice" (14)."
I had expected that deTocqueville's classic would be a study of political technique, like an expanded version of The Prince or The Art Of War. Instead Democracy in America (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) is an original and powerful exploration of Sociology (generations before Max Weber).
deTocqueville draws on his experiences touring the United States in 1830 to make observations and speculations about the influence of social ideals (especially equality and liberty) on all sorts of human institutions and behaviors: religion, culture, industry, government, war, education, culture, etc. Along the way, he paints a comprehensive picture of life in America and Europe in the early 19th century.
The theme of the book is that the U.S. experiment with Democracy has many (positive and negative) lessons for Europe. deTocqueville's ideas are not always convincing or consistent. But they are always clearly presented and frequently provocative. So the book is valuable both as history and social science.
A secondary theme, not well enough appreciated in our day, is the inherent tension between equality and freedom. The book's global relevance is proven by its final paragraph: "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.""
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