What, in de Tocqueville's view, are the virtues and what are the vices of democratic government?

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Theodore Roos                07/05/2007

What, in de Tocqueville’s view, are the virtues and what are the vices of democratic government?

        Democracy in America was written by Tocqueville to see how such a stable and prosperous democracy as America worked and to see why attempts at democratic government in France had failed so disastrously. The theme of the (often disorganised) book that emerges is how liberty is best preserved in the midst of the growing equality of conditions present in America. Tocqueville outlines many of the advantages he sees in democracy from the point of view of a French liberal. On the other hand, he also warns of the dangers of democratic government which manifests itself in many ways. Elements exist, however, within the American political system, that act against these dangerous democratic tendencies, and that is why, on the whole, Tocqueville is so admiring of American democracy.

        “Democratic laws tend to promote the welfare of the greatest number.” It is clear that giving each citizen (which does not include certain groups, for example, slaves) the ability to choose the government that their interests will be served, rather than interests of an aristocracy or other minority. Therefore, from a utilitarian point of view, democracy helps establish what the interests of the majority are in society, and helps put those interests at the forefront of decision-making. Tocqueville refutes the claim made by some that democracy favours the prosperity of all. It does not do so, but merely “contributes to the well-being of the greatest number”. The corollary of this is that this leads to a ‘tyranny of the majority’, which will be discussed later.

        A second advantage of democracy is that it fosters an active part for citizens in governorship. According to Jack Lively, “the greatest advantage of democratic government was that it nurtured a habit of involvement in public concerns”. Democracy unites people with dissimilar customs and traditions, in that the franchise is one of the only things that they have in common; because it grants the right of a say in how citizens live, it is an extremely powerful connector in building a sense of cohesion. “The citizen looks upon the fortune of the public as his own, and he labours for the good of the state, not merely from a sense of pride or duty, but from what I venture to term cupidity.” With an inordinate desire to appropriate another’s wealth, voting and debating is not a chore but rather an opportunity to assimilate with society for one’s own, and for other’s, gain. This pluralism brings, in turn, citizens to become better informed about and active within society.

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        “I know of no higher principle than that of right.” Tocqueville provides a powerful argument in Chapter 12 of the supremacy of citizen’s rights and how democracy best defends them. Rights are effectively virtues in the political world, according to him. This is shown by the example of property. Because everyone in a democracy has property of his own to defend, everyone recognises the principles upon which he holds the property. The same applies to ‘voting rights’: “The government of a democracy brings the notion of political rights to the level of the humblest citizens, just as the dissemination of wealth ...

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