 |  |
|
Alexis de Tocqueville
In his distinction between individualism and individuality, in his emphasis on the
democratic necessity of (and affinity for) strong civic associations, and in his warning concerning the antidemocratic
instincts of industry, de Tocqueville deserves to be read by every citizen of our republic. For further reading, M. de Tocqueville also utilized his formidable powers to scrutinize other nations, including his homeland.
The Old Regime and the French Revolution, while perhaps a tad too nostalgic for the ancien regime, remains a truly great book on
the events of 1789-1792.
Over one hundred and sixty years since its publication,
and Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America remains one of the best books written
on the nature of democratic man and the character of democratic society. Blessed with an extraordinary
talent for perception, de Tocqueville expertly examined the heart of American democracy, and brilliantly
documented the impact of our fundamental principles upon the American world view. A page doesn't go by in either
the 1835 or 1840 volumes where de Tocqueville fails to yield splendid insights into the democratic condition. Throughout, he lists
both the positive (innocent, optimistic, gregarious) and negative (moralistic, self-centered, racist) aspects of the
American ethos with amazing aplomb.
