Alex de Tocqueville ( only summary)

Question 1

What are the main questions of de Tocqueville?

Answer 1

• What is democracy?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of democracy?
• Is there an a alternative for democracy?
• Who are we as democratic people?

= conclusion; democracy is not perfect

Question 2

What is democracy according to Tocqueville?

Answer 2

Democracy= popular sovereignty + majority rule

Question 3

On what is the political and moral empire of the majority based on?

Answer 3

1. Power of legalstive over executive (+ a elected judiciary)
2. Theory of equality applied over intellects
3. Principle that the intrest of the greates number ought to be preffered.

Question 4

What is the Tyranny of the majority?

Answer 4

a situation in which a group of people are treated unfairly because their situation is different from the situation of most of the people in a democratic country.

The will of the majority has the orgin of all powers

Question 5

What is a problem wirh arbitrariness?

Answer 5

It is not according to the law

Question 6

What is the problem with Tyranny?

Answer 6

It is not in the intrest of the ruled

Question 7

What is (soft) depotism?

Answer 7

Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by “a network of small complicated rules” might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called ‘hard despotism’) in the sense that it is not obvious to the people

Question 8

What are the social consequences of democracy?

Answer 8

Men are both proud and weak:

• Proud to be equal to every other member of the state
• Weak that he is an insignificant member among many

Question 9

Indivudalism

Answer 9

In a democracy there is no egoism, but self-intrest well understood, combied with materialism, a taste for material wellbeing.

Question 10

Power of public opinion

Answer 10

two tendecies in equality: one bringing new thoughts to every mind and the other inducing it to give up thinking..

Question 11

How can a state be made of free and equal individuals

Answer 11

• Administrative decentralization
• lawyers
• juries -> active citizenship
• associations, civil society
• journalism/free press
• religion, including separation of church and state
  reading Greek and Latin literature
• strong woman, makers of morals