Author of Democracy in America, prophet of democratic society
A French thinker and statesman. As a young man he traveled to the newborn United States, and on his return wrote Democracy in America — still one of the most profound books for understanding democratic society. He praised the equality and vitality democracy brings, yet keenly warned of its perils: the tyranny of the majority, mediocre conformity, and the risk that in the pursuit of equality people might give up liberty and slide into a "soft despotism." Standing at the border of the old aristocracy and the new democracy, he coolly foresaw nearly every problem democratic society would face over the next two centuries.
Even as he cheered democracy, Tocqueville raised a sharp warning: when "the majority" holds absolute power, it too can oppress the minority and stifle dissent, forming a "tyranny of the majority." He reminded people that democracy does not automatically equal liberty — how to preserve individual independence and freedom in a society of equals is democracy’s perennial task. The insight rings just as true today.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.