Democracy in America: And Two Essays on America (Penguin Classics)

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Summary: America's Political Philosopher
Review: There was a movie that came out in the nineties, whose title eludes me, in which a businessman's airhead wife is taught the art of intelligent discourse by having her read, however reluctantly at first, Democracy in America. In the movie, she eventually becomes the darling of Washington cocktail parties as she applies her newly-found wisdom and love of learning to dazzle senators and other various VIPs. Leaving aside any further mention of the film's merit, the scriptwriter clearly had the idea that contained in Alexis de Tocqueville's enormous but highly readable guide to American democracy is an incredible amount of wit, clarity, wisdom, entertainment, and description that will fill the reader with awe at how prescient was Tocqueville's insight and vision and how remarkable is our continuing experiment in democracy. Alas (and I promise I won't mention the film again after this), another character points out to the hapless heroine that everybody has heard of Tocqueville and has some idea of what's inside, perhaps having read a few passages in college, but nobody's actually read him. More is the pity that this throwaway line contained the greatest truth. Tocqueville is worth reading today as much as in the mid Nineteenth Century when first he published it. (Born Yesterday, that's the film title)

What was Tocqueville trying to accomplish? Briefly, the aristocratic born Frenchman spent almost a year starting in 1831 traveling in The United States during the heyday of Andrew Jackson's first term. Touring widely, speaking to a great variety of people, and trying to introduce as much variety as possible into his plans, he observed carefully and questioned wisely on the nature of American society. In 1835 and 1840 he published in two volumes his Democracy in America. Written in French, and aimed at a French audience, he probably had no idea he was becoming America's unofficial political philosopher. Writing with a more personal approach than would be common today, there is no doubt that he is directly addressing his readership and it is not us. His goal is simply to expound upon how democracy, still a novel concept at the time, worked in what was then nearly the youngest country on Earth, but still the oldest functioning democracy (or republic, if you wish to split hairs). It is clear from the start that his goal is simply to relate (with some of his own commentary thrown in) how Americans do it, and what the outcome has been, with some discussion on where Tocqueville thinks the future will lead. It is not to suggest our way as the only course of action for France or any other European culture (he makes frequent comparisons to France and also to Great Britain). Nor is it to say that American culture is perfect in any way, though the reader cannot help noticing that he was impressed overall. His goal is to educate on matters of fact as they stood at the time.

So why is Tocqueville so popular in America now? First of all, we can't discount that though he intended no flattery, the account is still overwhelmingly positive. So yes, it caresses our ego a bit. But even there it does so by emphasizing those aspects of America that have become enshrined as our national culture. Industrious, daring, active and mobile, practical; these are emphasized. But even when he points out our lack of high culture (literature, painting and sculpture, music) and emphasizes the lowbrow nature of American pastimes it still speaks to an old conceit; that we are better than the Old World. That we disavow the effete high culture of aristocracy that stifles the human imagination. We all remember this from middle school I'm sure. I don't think Tocqueville created this image - Ben Franklin promoted it quite actively during his time in Europe, especially in France. But he probably expresses it better than anyone has. So far as specifics go, there are far too many to relate in detail in such a limited space. Tocqueville covers the important points of political philosophy as they stood in his day. True, some passages are livelier than others. Some discussion covers points of American constitutional government that would be well known to most American readers. Perhaps it is because English versions are in translation, but the text is easily readable to anyone with moderate literary skill. Trying to spell de Tocqueville is harder than reading any given chapter.

Finally, beyond the style and the favorable impression, Tocqueville has a lot to say that's worth listening to. Though doubtless not his intention (being a liberal as understood in his day), he actually gives through his many comparisons the best picture of the strengths of aristocracy that I've come across in my life. And this without even promoting it. The author reveals himself as having a penetrating insight. Even his predictions are worth reading, knowing now how things have turned out. His pessimistic appraisals of future race relations (including a prediction that there would never be a civil war) have proven false. But at times even very specific claims come true. His guess of the population of America in one hundred years (to 1945) would, if not bolstered by massive immigration in the late century, probably have been accurate. He even claims as an aside that in the future it would be the competing models of America and Russia that would dominate the world. And this is far from his central thesis.

Needless to say at this point, I highly recommend Tocqueville. For anyone with any curiosity about American institutions, whether as a historical snapshot or for philosophical insight, Tocqueville has rightly stood the test of time. His thoughts are as deserving of our attention today as they were in his own day, in America as in France. A treasure awaits you between the covers.


Rating:
Summary: Great edition but...
Review: This is a classic book. One that belongs on the bookshelf of any person with a serious interest in civil society and politics in America. This book comes in the familiar classic Penguin style binding which means it's an affordable but solid paperback which will still be in one piece even after years of thumbing your way through it (and I think I'm somehow addicted/comforted by the smell of their pages).

But the one unforgivable defect of this 900+ page edition is that it contains no index!! de Tockville wrote lots of chapters with descriptive titles, so you can kind of find your way around, but still it substantially diminishes the usefulness of the text.

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Summary: The Bevan Translation
Review: This translation of Democracy in America is the one to buy. As you would expect from a Penguin edition, the typeface is clear and the paper is of good quality. The book as an object is a pleasure to hold and inviting to read.
But the real joy of this edition is that it is the only one to contain the two short essays that are tucked away at the back. It is worth beginning the book with these essays. They work in their own right but they also serve well as an introduction to the America of De Tocqueville.
'Excursion to Lake Oneida',the second essay, is a beautiful vignette of that time and that place; a rare gem that deserves to be read more widely.
If you intend to read De Tocqueville, read this translation. It is lucid, informative, entertaining and hugely readable. I thoroughly enjoyed travelling through America with De Tocqueville, and I will carry the story of the 'Excursion to Lake Oneida' with me for along time.