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Democracy in America Paperback – April 1, 2002

by Alexis de Tocqueville (Author), Harvey C. Mansfield (Translator), Delba Winthrop (Translator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 657 ratings
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Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) came to America in 1831 to see what a great republic was like. What struck him most was the country's equality of conditions, its democracy. The book he wrote on his return to France, Democracy in America, is both the best ever written on democracy and the best ever written on America. It remains the most often quoted book about the United States, not only because it has something to interest and please everyone, but also because it has something to teach everyone.

 

When it was published in 2000, Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop's new translation of Democracy in America—only the third since the original two-volume work was published in 1835 and 1840—was lauded in all quarters as the finest and most definitive edition of Tocqueville's classic thus far. Mansfield and Winthrop have restored the nuances of Tocqueville's language, with the expressed goal "to convey Tocqueville's thought as he held it rather than to restate it in comparable terms of today." The result is a translation with minimal interpretation, but with impeccable annotations of unfamiliar references and a masterful introduction placing the work and its author in the broader contexts of political philosophy and statesmanship.

 
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    722 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    8.9 x 6 x 1.8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0226805360
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0226805368
  8. Lexile measure
    1310L
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The editors have written more than a mere introduction; they have written in fact a small book, a remarkably comprehensive and yet succinct study of Tocqueville's political thought. . . . Mansfield and Winthrop have made a remarkably comprehensive and tightly argued case for Tocqueville as the greatest political theorist of democracy, a theorist who is just as relevant today as he was in the nineteenth century." -- Gordon S. Wood ― New York Review of Books

"It would be difficult to think of a greater service to the study of Tocqueville than the one performed by Mansfield and Winthrop in their impeccable new edition and translation of Democracy in America. . . . The publisher is justified in claiming that this version will henceforth be seen as the 'authoritative' edition in English." ― Choice

"The Mansfield-Winthrop work will henceforth be the preferred English version of Democracy in America not only because of the superior translation and critical apparatus, but also because of its long and masterly introductory essay, itself an important contribution to the literature on Tocqueville." -- Roger Kimball ― The New Criterion

"If Tocqueville is an indispensable guide to understanding the American experience, Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop are indispensable guides to Tocqueville himself. In the introduction to their fresh and limpid translation of Democracy in America—what will surely be the definitive translation for some time to come—they offer a helpful summary of Tocqueville's philosophical and political thought." -- Thomas Pavel ― Wall Street Journal

"Democracy in America will continue to be read with profit as long as the United States survives as a republic and, indeed, as long as democracy endures. It deserves faithful translators, careful expositors and insightful commentators. In Mansfield and Winthrop it has found them." -- Robert P. George ― Times Literary Supplement

"[A] major new translation. . . . Tocqueville's insights confirm his brilliance and remind us that many features of national character are virtually indestructible." -- Robert J. Samuelson ― Newsweek

"This will be the English translation of Tocqueville for a long time, and it has the additional bonus that the introduction is as succinct an introduction to Tocqueville, or at least to the conservative view of him and his achievement, as one can find." -- Adam Gopnik ― The New Yorker

From the Inside Flap

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) came to America in 1831 to see what a great republic was like. What struck him most was the country's equality of conditions, its democracy. The book he wrote on his return to France, Democracy in America, is both the best ever written on democracy and the best ever written on America. It remains the most often quoted book about the United States, not only because it has something to interest and please everyone, but also because it has something to teach everyone.

Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop's new translation of Democracy in America is only the third since the original two-volume work was published in 1835 and 1840. It is a spectacular achievement, capturing the elegance, subtlety, and profundity of Tocqueville's original. Mansfield and Winthrop have restored the nuances of his language, with the expressed goal "to convey Tocqueville's thought as he held it rather than to restate it in comparable terms of today." The result is a translation with minimal interpretation, avoiding the problem that Tocqueville himself read in the first translation of Democracy in America.

The strength of the translation is only one reason that Mansfield and Winthrop's Democracy in America will become the authoritative edition of the text. Also included is a superb and substantial introduction placing the work and its author in the broader context of the traditions of political philosophy and statesmanship. Together in one volume, the new translation, the introduction, and the translators' annotations of references no longer familiar to us combine to offer the most readable and faithful version of Tocqueville's masterpiece.

As we approach the 160th anniversary of the publication of Democracy in
America, Mansfield and Winthrop have provided an additional reason to celebrate.
Lavishly prepared and produced, this long-awaited new translation will surely become the authoritative edition of Tocqueville's profound and prescient masterwork.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (April 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 722 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226805360
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226805368
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1310L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.87 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.9 x 6 x 1.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 657 ratings

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  1. Alexis de Tocqueville

    Alexis de Tocqueville

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    Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville (French: [alɛksi ʃaʁl ɑ̃ʁi kleʁɛl də tɔkvil]; 29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French political thinker and historian best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes: 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both of these, he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals, as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States, and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.

    Tocqueville was active in French politics, first under the July Monarchy (1830–48) and then during the Second Republic (1849–51) which succeeded the February 1848 Revolution. He retired from political life after Louis Napoléon Bonaparte's 2 December 1851 coup, and thereafter began work on The Old Regime and the Revolution.

    He argued that the importance of the French Revolution was to continue the process of modernizing and centralizing the French state which had begun under King Louis XIV. The failure of the Revolution came from the inexperience of the deputies who were too wedded to abstract Enlightenment ideals. Tocqueville was a classical liberal who advocated parliamentary government, but was skeptical of the extremes of democracy.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Théodore Chassériau [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

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  2. Harvey C. Mansfield

    Harvey C. Mansfield

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
657 global ratings
Essential reading
5 Stars
Essential reading
I will not, in the years I have left and given the unread stacks still holding down my bookshelves, read various editions of this book," so I cannot vouch for the Mansfield-Winthrop translation as compared to others. What I can say, however, is that while there are certainly many other essential readings, I don't believe one can even begin to understand the full arc of the American experience without having carefully read Alexis De Tocqueville's "Democracy in America." It is that important. It is that well-written. It is that insightful.I am sometimes astonished that I was able to earn a baccalaureate degree in political science from a public university without having read this book. It's as if statistical analyses of voting patterns and opinion polls (required) is somehow more germane. But then no one ever asked me to read The Federalist Papers either. I've had to read both these books on my own, which I must add I am happy to do. Pure joy.
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Top reviews from the United States

JJKTEBK
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book next to Federalist Papers on America
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
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Great insight into America and how our culture began and government developed. We have lost so much insight of how our people formed a great civilization—warts and all. This should be a basic text for every American. Well translated and easily understood.
2 people found this helpful
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Justin Heller
5.0 out of 5 stars Textbook for class
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023
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Overall, very interesting reading that gave me an interesting perspective on America’s founding. Came in great condition as well.
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David Montgomery
5.0 out of 5 stars Observations on American Democracy and Democracy in General
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2007
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I marveled at Alexis de Tocqueville's trenchant insights into what made (makes) American Democracy what it is. Indeed, I think Tocqueville knew more about us than we do (partly a benefit of being a foreigner). But it's not just observations on American Democracy that we get in this indispensable book, but useful analysis between the democratic revolutions and societies in Tocqueville's native France and other countries, and the incessant contrasts the author makes between aristocratic and democratic societies. Tocqueville lived in a time in which the old orders of society (mainly aristocratic) were dissipating and hence his careful examination of the promises and problems that democracies posed for this country and others for his day and for the future.

I can't possibly begin to touch on every issue Tocqueville discusses in this book, but I'll try to mention a few. For Tocqueville, America offered a unique opportunity for democracy to grow and flourish. He discusses the advantages of geographic location, the Puritan settlers in New England, the townships that developed, the formation of the states and the eventual Union formally established by the U.S. Constitution written in 1787. In addition to the external factors that evinced a democratic society, he gave careful attention to the interests, beliefs, habits and mores that united Americans North and South, East and West (though there were some obvious economic and social differences between these geographic segments).

America did not possess a ruling class, and Tocqueville discusses what he called the equality of conditions that he saw in this county. Americans believed they were equal to each other, especially in regards to their ability to obtain wealth and prosperity. The people also viewed themselves as sovereign; they had representative leaders, but ultimately those leaders were and remain accountable to the people. Tocqueville is not hesitant to point out some bad sides to democracy, or at least potentially bad tendencies that could develop. Such topics as the tyranny of the majority, individual impotence in the face of democracy's dependence on the force of the public as a single body, lack of greater intellectual pursuits and accomplishments (though he admits this is a result of our busy lives and our desire to find quick answers and solutions). He seems to be most disappointed with the mediocrity that he sees as resulting when all things seem equal. The dangers of tyranny and despotism also linger.

Tocqueville saw signs of potential future conflict, especially considering the presence of slavery. He envisioned a war between the races as very possible. He also discussed the effects of white settlement and their interaction with the Native Americans as well. His judgement seemed to be that the Native Americans were doomed once the white settlers arrived and started moving west. In addition to conflicts among people, he saw the growing concentration of power as almost inevitable. Our history has especially proven the growth of our national government. And there are so many other observations Tocqueville discusses on the future of democracy not only in this country, but for any democratic society. He had his fears and hopes.

There are so many things I'm leaving out, but I was truly impressed with this man's astute observations on our form of government and our society in general and what some of the positive and negative sides to democracy were (and are). There are topics touched on that will cause you to immediately grasp how applicable they are to life today. A must read.
20 people found this helpful
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Judy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Book Every American Needs to Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018
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I’ve always been fascinated by America, the American experiment, the American experience. In college, I found my place in the sociology, anthropology, political science and literature of the American people, values and ideals. My novels are born of the culture of merging, conflicting cultures we, as Americans, were born into, from my conviction that dealing with that experience is the challenge of being American. Only once before, in 1968, have I had the horrifying sense that the country was coming apart under the strain, a sense of the great experiment disintegrating.
What has happened to us? Where did this disintegration into hate and violence, this contempt for our institutions begin and where is it taking us? From all of my early studies, the work that keeps coming to mind, as I look for answers is Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. De Tocqueville was a French aristocrat who hated tyranny and feared that democracy would disintegrate into tyranny of the majority. He understood, however that democracy was the future, so in 1831 he came to America in order to see it in action. To my mind, no student should graduate from high school in the United States without reading his observations and reflections on the American people, for we desperately need to renew our sense of not only the hope but the challenges of being an American and a commitment to support its survival as a democracy.
De Tocqueville feared individualism and the abolition of the class system that, he believed, gave order and stability to the European nations. He believed that without that order, people would be forever anxious about where they belonged and would end up forever comparing themselves to each other. Forever insecure, their individualism would devolve into selfishness and each would end up alone. We should take a good look at ourselves in light of this fear. Has our insecurity, our need to know where we belong splintered us into rival groups where each gains stature by debunking the other?
However, De Tocqueville also found in the Americans, an equality unknown in Europe and with a deep sense of community and civil order. He found a people committed to building a new world, to resolving together the problems that confronted them. He believed that the multitude of civic organizations would counter the dangers of individualism. The men, he thought, would forever strive to power and acquisition of wealth, but the mores, the “habits of the heart” carried by the women, would provide the civilizing force.
He has a great deal to say about the role of religion in the New World and many other subjects, but this gives a taste of a perspective different enough to shake up the all-to-stale ideologies that have broken us into enemy camps. We have indeed joined civil action groups, but we have, since Trump’s election, discovered the importance of unwritten mores, that undergird our common culture. That gives us the opportunity to regain our sense of belonging to a whole.
His views on the role of women should spark lively conversations on individualism versus commitment for both genders as well as on the effect of the rampant greed of the eighties and nineties. De Tocqueville believed it is the “habits of the heart” that give the Americans strength. We need to rediscover those together.
108 people found this helpful
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katalaveno33
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story, embalmed translation.
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017
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The subject matter is so marvelous and so apropos to current events that it
survives this archaic "translation" into late 19 th century textbook obtuseness.
If diagrammed the grammar of typical sentence would suggest an aerial image of the Mississippi delta, including (almost) the alligators.
Hard to imagine an editor allowing the folly of interjecting footnotes smack dab in the middle
of the text .... and the same type point.

It may be, as the editor boasts, a verisimilitude: an English equivalent of mid-18th century French.
But why? We are not French, and this is the 21 St Century ... buzzing along in hit-the-ground running 'Merica.
'Tis we who, one supposes, are the intended customers.

I'll slog through it cuz the tale is extraordinary and the (original)author incredibly prescient.
And it reminds me of my first adventures in reading: ancient tomes in my grandmother's library ... yes; 80+ years ago.

Go ahead. Buy it. It's a romp.
are the hoped for consumers, yes?
2 people found this helpful
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Bella Brunella
5.0 out of 5 stars What a work, what a translation
Reviewed in Germany on August 10, 2023
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This is just superb from the beginning to the end.
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Bien livré
Reviewed in France on June 3, 2018
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Il m'a bien été livré pour les cours mais je peut pas dire que je l'ai lus donc bonne chance a tous ceux qui doivent se taper ce truck.
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Alan
5.0 out of 5 stars full of hate and bloodlust
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2015
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I give this collection 5 stars. But dark stars, full of hate and bloodlust, burning in an ebony night, where the great ones lurk and the old gods await...
2 people found this helpful
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Royster
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2015
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The old ones are behind the present government are'nt they?
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DRC
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2015
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Good
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