Alexis de Tocqueville published the first edition of Democracy in America in France in 1835 and in the United States in 1838. Born into a family that endured suffering during the French Revolution, Tocqueville’s writing on American democracy describes it in a complimentary manner. Democracy in America describes Tocqueville’s understanding of American society and civic institutions with an interest in equality, individualism, and other facets of American society which he discusses in terms of democracy.
Mill praises Democracy in America in his autobiography, recalling that he wrote a review of the work the year it was published (1835) and a second review in 1840. In Democracy in America, Mill says that “the excellences of democracy were pointed out in a more conclusive, because a more specific manner than I had ever known them to be, even by the most enthusiastic democrats” (Mill ch. VI). Mill attributes a shift in his political principles to Tocqueville’s work, which Mill suggests is reflected in his book Considerations on Representative Government.
Sources
“About Tocqueville’s Democracy in America,” HeinOnline, 26 December 2022, https://libguides.heinonline.org/democracy-in-america. Accessed 22 May 2024.
“An Introduction to the Work of Tocqueville.” Great Thinkers, https://thegreatthinkers.org/tocqueville/introduction/. Accessed 22 May 2024.
Martin, John. “Alexis de Tocqueville Revisited.” Library of Congress Information Bulletin, vol. 56, no. 17, 1997, https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9712/kammen.html. Accessed 22 May 2024.