Critical Analysis of Alex de Tocquevilles Democracy in...

Irena Cosby Analysis of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America Alexis de Tocqueville’s visit to the United States in 1831 prompted his work Democracy in America. This was supposed to be a chance for him to take a look at the American prison system. However, it was obvious from his writing that he looked at every aspect of American culture. In Democracy in America, he takes a look at how democracy works and the pitfalls that could bring about the downfall of democracy. Throughout his travels he noticed that private interest and personal gain motivated the actions of most Americans. He believed this cultivated a new concept, the concept of individualism. He believed this individualism was one of the greatest threats to†¦show more content†¦He also looked at the industrialization of America and how it fit into this new concept. He noticed that employees of factories learned how to do one thing. While they may perfect that one skill, they began to lose creativity and imagination. They also lost the desire to move up in society. They became comfortable and content with their task, and every day became just like the one before it. Owners of factories, on the other hand, held all the power. They could get richer or even lose their wealth. However, it didn’t matter how many different people were in management positions, they all had two things in common†¦power and wealth. De Tocqueville believed this would create a large population of people who relied on the few creative thinkers left to take care of them. While there was an equality of the masses, there was still a much smaller group of people that held all the power. Given that despots have every interest in keeping people isolated, the individualism resulting from equality makes despotism a great threat to equality. Exercising freedom through participation in public affairs is therefore extremely vital because it gives people a personal interest in thinking about others i n society. Local self governments are important because they draw people together, and it is, therefore, more likely that they will exercise their liberty. De Tocqueville believed that when