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"
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