Summary Of Democracy In America By Alex De Tocqueville

Over the course of human history, many different forms of government have risen only to be ousted and replaced generally through bloody revolutions and civil wars. One of the more momentous governmental changes took place after the United States won its independence from Great Britain’s monarchy, giving rise to history’s most prominent democracy. As this new nation and government emerged, those living in Europe observed this new democracy meticulously, wondering if this new form of government would be able to endure the test of time. One of these inquisitive Europeans who examined the American democracy was Alexis de Tocqueville. In the latter years of the 1830s, Tocqueville wrote Democracy in America which analyzed how a democracy functions and the effects it has on its citizens. In the book, Tocqueville argued that an aristocratic form of government could be seen as advantageous when compared to a democracy. One of his leading arguments states that a democracy can make men forget about their ancestors and that a democracy “throws him back forever upon himself alone.” I disagree with Tocqueville on his assertions that aristocracy is superior to a democracy for a vast number of reasons. Tocqueville asserts that a democratic government results in people erasing their memory of their past ancestors and …show more content…
All of Tocqueville 's arguments are proven to be untrue when scrutinized. A democracy does not isolate its citizens from one another, nor does it make them forget about their ancestors as Tocqueville wrongly claimed in his book. Our modern and flourishing American democracy stands as proof to affirmatively show that Tocqueville’s claims did not stand the test of time. I firmly believe that Alex de Tocqueville was incorrect with his belief that a democratic form of government does not function as well as an