The Chicago Companion to Tocqueville's Democracy in America

by Schleifer, James T.

• ISBN13: 9780226737041
• ISBN10: 0226737047
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-04
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

One of the greatest books ever to be written on the United States, Democracy in Americacontinues to find new readers who marvel at the lasting insights Alexis de Tocqueville had into our nation and its political culture. The work is, however, as challenging as it is important; its arguments can be complex and subtle, and its sheer length can make it difficult for any reader, especially one coming to it for the first time, to grasp Tocqueville's meaning. The Chicago Companion to Tocqueville's "Democracy in America"is the first book written expressly to help general readers and students alike get the most out of this seminal work. Now James T. Schleifer, an expert on Tocqueville, has provided the background and information readers need in order to understand Tocqueville's masterwork. In clear and engaging prose, Schleifer explains why Democracy in Americais so important, how it came to be written, and how different generations of Americans have interpreted it since its publication. He also presents indispensable insight on who Tocqueville was, his trip to America, and what he meant by equality, democracy, and liberty. Drawing upon his intimate knowledge of Tocqueville's papers and manuscripts, Schleifer reveals how Tocqueville's ideas took shape and changed even in the course of writing the book. At the same time, Schleifer provides a detailed glossary of key terms and key passages, all accompanied by generous citations to the relevant pages in the University of Chicago Press Mansfield/Winthrop translation. The Chicago Companionwill serve generations of readers as an essential guide to both the man and his work.

Author Biography

James T. Schleifer is emeritus dean of the library and professor of history at the College of New Rochelle and has been a visiting lecturer at Yale University and the University of Paris. He is the author of the award-winning book The Making of Tocqueville's "Democracy in America"; coeditor of De la dmocratie en Amrique, a critical edition in the Pliade series; and translator of the four-volume historical-critical edition of De la dmocratie en Amrique edited by Eduardo Nolla.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Why Read Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America?	p. 1
What Are the Purposes and Uses of the Companion?	p. 3
What Are the Contexts of Tocqueville's Democracy'?
Who Was Tocqueville?	p. 9
What Are Some Essentials of His Life and Background?	p. 9
How Was He Able to Write Such a Brilliant Book?	p. 11
What Kind of Man Was Tocqueville?	p. 12
How Was Democracy in America Written?	p. 15
Tocqueville's Journey to America	p. 15
Why Did Tocqueville Visit the United States in 1831? And What Did He Do There?	p. 15
How Did Tocqueville and Beaumont Work?	p. 17
What Is the Importance of Tocqueville's Travel Diaries and Letters Home?	p. 20
What Were the Weaknesses of Tocqueville's Journey?	p. 21
Intellectual Encounter with America	p. 25
Tocqueville's Second Voyage to America	p. 27
How Did Democracy in America Take Shape?	p. 27
Tocqueville's Working Papers	p. 27
Help from Others	p. 28
What Were the Sources of Tocqueville's Book?	p. 31
The Style and Structure of Tocqueville's Democracy	p. 38
Tocqueville's Ways of Writing: How Does He Address His Readers?	p. 38
How Is Democracy in America Organized?	p. 41
The Shape of the 1835 Democracy	p. 42
The Shape of the 1840 Democracy	p. 44
What Are Some of the Major Themes of Tocqueville's Democracy?
What Are Some of Tocqueville's Basic Convictions?	p. 49
What Does Tocqueville Mean by Equality, Democracy, and Liberty?	p. 56
Equality	p. 56
Democracy	p. 60
Liberty	p. 64
How Are Equality, Democracy, and Liberty Related?	p. 68
How Does Democracy Threaten Liberty?	p. 72
Democratic Materialism	p. 72
Democratic Individualism	p. 77
Centralization	p. 83
Where Would Power Accumulate?	p. 84
How to Preserve Liberty?	p. 101
Decentralization	p. 103
Associations	p. 105
Self-Interest Well Understood	p. 108
Religion	p. 112
What Is Tocqueville's Essential Message?	p. 115
What Are Some of Tocqueville's Other Major Themes?	p. 118
Economics and the Role of Government	p. 118
A Partisan of Democracy?	p. 126
Democracy and Religion	p. 129
Democracy and Intellectual Creativity	p. 130
Democracy and Morality	p. 133
Democracy and Revolution	p. 136
Democracy and War	p. 138
The Democratic Character	p. 139
Tocqueville's Major Themes Reconsidered	p. 142
What Else Does Tocqueville Have to Say about America?	p. 146
What Is Specific to America?	p. 146
The American Setting	p. 147
The Federal Constitution	p. 148
The Future of the Three Races	p. 150
American Exceptionalism	p. 153
Other Functions of America	p. 154
Tocqueville and the American Example	p. 157
American Readings of Tocqueville's Democracy
How Has Tocqueville's Democracy Been Read in America?	p. 161
Conservative Readings	p. 163
Liberal Readings	p. 164
Libertarian Readings	p. 166
Communitarian Readings	p. 167
Concluding Reflections	p. 170
Tools for Use
Glossary: What Are Some of the Key Terms in Tocqueville's Democracy?	p. 175
Guide to Key Chapters and Passages: Which Parts of Tocqueville's Democracy Are the Most Famous and Essential?	p. 179
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 185
Notes	p. 187
Index	p. 197
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