Industrialization, through the lenses of the Industrial Revolution as well as current day developments, has had tremendous consequences on the world and the people living within it. In relation to democracy, industrial progress can be seen not only as the “expansion of natural boundaries” (Karras) and development in technologies but also the changes felt by everyday people in terms of how they live their lives. One advocate of industrialization was Alexis de Tocqueville, who commended the resulting rise of opportunity and equality in his book, “Democracy in America.” On the opposing end, there was Thorstein Veblen who criticized industrialization, claiming it led people to be motivated to consume for the wrong reasons, as indicated in his book,
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Beginning with Tocqueville, he assumed that “every man works to earn a living” (Tocqueville 161) and therefore there is inherent equality between men in a democracy. Tocqueville does still ponder that the “same equality that allows every citizen to conceive these lofty hopes renders all the citizens less able to realize them” (Tocqueville 148) which Veblen would agree with. However, Tocqueville still opposes Veblen by commending wealthier men for “devot[ing] [their] leisure to some kind of industrial or commercial pursuit or to public business.” (Tocqueville 161) While Tocqueville assumed that people in a democracy would perform the same industrial duties, Veblen divided classes “along functional lines” (Sawyer 470) and in terms of what they provided to society. He was critical of the division of labor, which gave the leisure class an exemption from any industrial labor that would be performed by lower classes. (Veblen 2) The leisure class is considered a class in society with significant amount of wealth and can afford living without working for it. Additionally, Veblen is also on the opposite end of the spectrum in discussing industrialization. Whereas Tocqueville praised the working industrialization that developed from democracy, Veblen thought industrial activity was “taking advantage of the non-human environment is classes together …show more content…
Taking both Veblen and Tocqueville into account, it is easy to detect applications of their concepts in American society today, which can best be described as a modern capitalist civilization in which people are free. America is vivid example of how a nation can hold contradictory values at the same time. Looking at modern day America through the perspective of Tocqueville, he would praise the newfound freedoms and advantages that a democracy would have over another system such as an aristocracy. He would argue that the current state of affairs in America is good, as people in different classes unite to perform different industrial duties to sustain the economy and fulfill their self-interests. In order to fulfill their self-interests they will seek physical gratifications but that is not necessary harmful, as consumption will motivate the capitalist economy forward. While Tocqueville addresses the possibility that “if at the critical moment, some able and ambitious man grasps the supreme power, he will find the road to every kind of usurpation open before him,” (Tocqueville 149) he still believes that democracy overall offers liberties that would not otherwise exist in another system. The existing democracy and the steady level of industrialization in America is ultimately
Beginning with Tocqueville, he assumed that “every man works to earn a living” (Tocqueville 161) and therefore there is inherent equality between men in a democracy. Tocqueville does still ponder that the “same equality that allows every citizen to conceive these lofty hopes renders all the citizens less able to realize them” (Tocqueville 148) which Veblen would agree with. However, Tocqueville still opposes Veblen by commending wealthier men for “devot[ing] [their] leisure to some kind of industrial or commercial pursuit or to public business.” (Tocqueville 161) While Tocqueville assumed that people in a democracy would perform the same industrial duties, Veblen divided classes “along functional lines” (Sawyer 470) and in terms of what they provided to society. He was critical of the division of labor, which gave the leisure class an exemption from any industrial labor that would be performed by lower classes. (Veblen 2) The leisure class is considered a class in society with significant amount of wealth and can afford living without working for it. Additionally, Veblen is also on the opposite end of the spectrum in discussing industrialization. Whereas Tocqueville praised the working industrialization that developed from democracy, Veblen thought industrial activity was “taking advantage of the non-human environment is classes together …show more content…
Taking both Veblen and Tocqueville into account, it is easy to detect applications of their concepts in American society today, which can best be described as a modern capitalist civilization in which people are free. America is vivid example of how a nation can hold contradictory values at the same time. Looking at modern day America through the perspective of Tocqueville, he would praise the newfound freedoms and advantages that a democracy would have over another system such as an aristocracy. He would argue that the current state of affairs in America is good, as people in different classes unite to perform different industrial duties to sustain the economy and fulfill their self-interests. In order to fulfill their self-interests they will seek physical gratifications but that is not necessary harmful, as consumption will motivate the capitalist economy forward. While Tocqueville addresses the possibility that “if at the critical moment, some able and ambitious man grasps the supreme power, he will find the road to every kind of usurpation open before him,” (Tocqueville 149) he still believes that democracy overall offers liberties that would not otherwise exist in another system. The existing democracy and the steady level of industrialization in America is ultimately