Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy, Revolution, and Society

ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLEEdited byJohn StoneandStephen Mennell402 pages | 6 x 9 | 1980Heritage of Sociology SeriesAlexis de Tocqueville possessed one of the most fertile sociological imaginations of the nineteenth century. For more than 120 years, his uncanny predictive insight has continued to fascinate thinkers, and his writings have continued to influence our interpretations of history and society. His analyses of many issues remain relevant to current social and political problems. In this volume John Stone and Stephen Mennell bring together for the first time selections from the full range of Tocqueville's writings, selections that illustrate the depth of his insight and analysis.

CONTENTSAcknowledgmentsIntroduction by John Stone and Stephen Mennell1. The Social Origins of DemocracyThe Democratic Character of Anglo-American SocietyThe American System of TownshipsPolitical Effects of Administrative Decentralization in the United StatesThe Distinctiveness of the American Federal ConstitutionThe Relative Importance of Manners, Laws, and Physical Characteristics in the Maintenance of Democracy2. The Political Structure of DemocracyPolitical Activity in AmericaPolitical Associations in the United StatesThe Role of Secondary InstitutionsFreedom of the PressPolitical Functions of the Jury SystemPolitical Functions of ReligionPolitical Functions of EducationThe Tyranny of the Majority3. Social Relations under DemocracyThe Softening of Manners as Social Conditions became More EqualHow Democracy Makes Social Encounters among the Americans Simple and EasyHow Equality Divides the Americans into Numerous Small Social CirclesAssociations in American Civil LifeHow Democracy Affects the Relations of Masters and ServantsDemocracy and the Equality of the SexesWar and Democratic Armies4. The Cultural Consequences of DemocracyPhilosophical Method among the AmericansThe Principal Source of Belief among Democratic NationsWhy the Americans Are More Addicted to Practical Than to Theoretical ScienceThe Spirit in Which the Americans Cultivate the ArtsLiterary Characteristics of Democratic AgesThe Trade of LiteratureThe Effect of Democracy on LanguageCharacteristics of Historians in Democratic Ages5. The Ancien Rgime and the Origins of the French RevolutionThe Nature of the ProblemHow, Though Its Objectives Were Political, the French Revolution Followed the Lines of a Religious Revolution, and Why This Was SoWhat Did the French Revolution Accomplish?Why Feudalism Had Come to Be More Detested in France Than in Any Other CountryAdministrative Centralization under the Ancien RgimeHow Paternal Government, as It Is Called Today, Had Been Practiced under the Ancien RgimeHow in France, More Than in Any Other European Country, the Provinces Had Come under the Domination of the Capital CityHow France Had Become the Country in Which Men Were Most Like Each OtherHow, Though in Many Respects Similar, the French Were Split Up into Small, Isolated, Self-regarding GroupsHow the Lot of the French Peasant Was Sometimes Worse in the Eighteenth Century Than It Had Been in the Thirteenth6. The Dynamics of RevolutionHow, Around the Middle of the Eighteenth Century, Men of Letters Took the Lead in PoliticsHow the Desire for Reforms Took Precedence over the Desire for FreedomHow Prosperity Hastened the Outbreak of the RevolutionHow the Spirit of Revolt was Promoted by Well-intentioned Efforts to Improve the People's LotHow, Given These Facts, the Revolution Was a Foregone ConclusionFrom the Revolution to Napoleon7. The Revolution of 1848 and Its AftermathThe Jury Monarchy: Triumph of the BourgeoisieThe End of the July MonarchyCauses of the February RevolutionThe Class Character of RevolutionsBlunders of the RevolutionariesLouis Napoleon's Coup of 2 December 18518. Social Control: Individualism, Alienation, and DevianceSocial control under the Ancien RgimeSocial Control in the New England TownshipsRespect for Law in the United StatesAnomie in France on the Eve of RevolutionIndividualism in Democratic CountriesThat Aristocracy May Be Engendered by IndustryA Manufacturing CityManchesterSocial Conditions in IrelandPrisons: A Gresham's Law of CrimeThe Effects of Solitary ConfinementThe Rehabilitation of PrisonersThe Effects of Degrading PunishmentsHow Much Crime Is There?Criminal Statistics: Problems of International Comparison9. Race Relations, Slavery, and ColonialismTocqueville versus GobineauEthnic Stratification in IrelandRace Relations in AmericaThe American IndiansBlacks in AmericaSlavery in the French ColoniesColonialism in Algeria10. Tocqueville's Prophecy: Centralization, Equality, and the Problem of LibertyFuture Prospects of the United StatesWhy Democratic Nations Show a More Enduring Love of Equality Than of LibertyWhy Great Revolutions Will Become More RareThe Tendency towards Political CentralizationDemocratic DespotismFreedom: A Statement of FaithBibliographyIndexSociology:Individual, State and Society