Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Government theses Government 12-1977 The aM sterless Society: Observations on American Democracy by Alexis de Tocqueville James Tyrie Jr. Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/gov_theses Part of the American Politics Commons, American Studies Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Tyrie, James Jr., "The asM terless Society: Observations on American Democracy by Alexis de Tocqueville" (1977). Government theses. Paper 1. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/gov_theses/1 This Other is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Government theses by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. • THE I~~TERLEJ S SOC I ETYI OB~ERVATIONJ O~ AMER ICA :1 O:.\t.:OCRACY OY ALEXr,; DE ?OCQ 'E'l ILL~ A Thesis Pronented to the Facu l ty of the De pa rtment of Government ~1c s t~rn i<ent'lc ky Il niversity BOlv 1 ing Green . Kent'lcky • In Pa rtia l Fu lfil l ment of t he Reqll irem'lots f o r the Degreo r:aster of Ar t s by J ane::: S . Tyrie , J r . • December 1977 • AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF THESIS Permis. ion 15 hereby ~ranted to the Western Kentuc ky University Library to make, or a llow to be made photocopies . microfilm or other copie s of thi s the . iII (or appropria te researc h or scholarly p urp.l se ll. re served to the author for the making of any copies of thi s O the sis except (or brief acctions for research or Icholarly • purpOICs • Signed Date Please pl03ce a.n " X; " in the a ppropriate box. Thi ll (orm will be filed with the original of the thc al.s and will control fu t u r e lIle o f the thes i li • • • cCOMMtmd<'d \ - ? 3 - t"\ B ( ::In to) • f t;:::ir o~c ~ c !f:-, b:; t ,eo l-' c / ( ApprOV erl' ~ _-~} __-L 7TIT- ~7~J~ _________ - (Ua te ) //.,-, , 'J ean of t.he Co llege • ii • ACKNOWLEDGME NTS The writer wisheo to acknowledgo hts indebtedness t o several individuals who sacrificed their time in making this paper possible. Sincere apprec iation 1s expressed to Dr . Edward N. Kearny. who suggested the topic of the thesis. His valuable comment s , insight. and guidance were of great benefit. Appreciation is alao expressed to Dr. John D. Parker and Dr. ?aye Ca rroll for their help and guldRnce. A special a ppreciation i s g iven to my wife . Betsy , for her expertise and perseverance in the ma ny hours of typing • the rr.anuscr ipt • • Hi • TABLE OF CONT E ~ITS ACKNO'IILEDGM =:NTS .... .... .. ... .. iii Cha pter 1. I NTJ.:OD 'c'r ION II . FOUNDATIONS OF FREEDOM 9 Ill. EQll AL lTY OF COND I T IO NS 20 1'1. TH E t<: ASTERLES$ SOC I ETY 35 V. ECONvrl IC f.lAfER I ALISi,: , !MSTERLESS soc I ETY 50 V I . SAFEG'!AROS AGAINST TilE .. NE·... DES POT I SN" . 62 'I ll. COHC LI'S I ON!:) • • • • . • • • . .... .... 72 • !UBLIOGP. APH Y • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • 76 • THE MASTERLESS SOCIETY , OBSERVATIONS ON AMERICAN DEr.OCRACY BY ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE James S . Tyrie . Jr. December 1977 84 pa ges Directed by, Edward N. Kearny, John D. Parker. and Faye Ca rroll Department of Government ~estern Kentucky University Prench political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville ' s views cor.earning American democracy were examined in order to discern key aspects of democratic thought and practice in America . Tocqueville found certain fundamen t8 1 pr~mises such as Ind i­ vidual freedom and "equality of cond itions" at the base of democracy in America . Prom these basic premises come several paradoxical results , namely the rnssterlesu society. economic • materiali sm. and "tyranny of the majority." The$e paradoxec a re controll ed by safeguar dS of aSA ociations, ttle preBs , and the judiciary within the system. It was found that Tocqueville' s detachment and foresight give his thought greater meaning than that of many contemporar y social and political thinkers such as Jean-Jacq ues Revel and others. This high degree of foresight and detachment make it possible fo. students to discover an~ rediscover basic facets of Ame r ican s ociety today. • • I' I':'RO~ " CT 10:1 ~lear l II one h!l:"ld red and ft f:..y j'e'!. r:: 3"'0 . n va mf' i" r en ch oo l itlcal !lcicntiGt na med ALexis de Tocq'l ev1l 1e, atone with hll1 etol'te fric:"!d CUg a ve de ~ e a l l:nont. cane to Ane rica u nder the prc tllnse of st.mbl.nl7 t h e A,'erican penn l sy:.;te"l h'a l ~f t. with who. for GaMe i :3 the true moa ninf' of "mel' lear. d cI'lOc!'ocv . '!'!l h: visit too k p Ineo in 18 1 1 and t antod nearl " one ,,{'ar . rn this rel ativelY :::hort stay , ':'ocq'JC vi tle , thro'li'h 1''.1.G pers i st.ent. qucG t loning and intcrviewinp , discerned ko') n3pects • of democrat ic thoupht. a nd pract i ce in Am e rica Which ~, 3d been over l ooked l'Jy na ny contcnpornry :.;t' ldents of Anericnn rl enocracy . roth =.:u ropcnn and Ame!"ica n . :-: ven today . Tocquev i lte ' s two 1101 '11:10 work entitled Democr a cv in flneri ca rennins a classic "" I\ rel y ma tch d in its provoc&.t \ ve pro.., in" of A:r.erican nociet~ . :" ':0 major f actors contr ih:J tc to the II niqur.nc:;s of 'l'oco" cville ' s politica l t.hour,h t . ;-' irst . '!'ocquevi l le' g de t achr.tent f rom Ame rica ke pt his f indinP-G u nfettered . H~ was k trav e l er in a s tra n r c l and a nd a s s 'lch was abl e to tnke a removed v i ewpoint of the AM e riean scene . As a s ophist i cated ~uropenn t r avel e r in a s tran~e l a nd, Tocquev ille wa s in a be tter pos ition to perce ive Anerica from a b road cosmopolitan pe r s pective rather than from a narrow • phrochial viewpoint , ? Tocquevllle ' s independence ~M nn o bBe~Ve r WOJ enhnnced • by t he fact tha t he was not only phys i ca lly rletachod f rom America via Pr a nce but a l co Ideolog icu lly douchod a nd f r e e f r om pref erences which would t end t o cl oud hlG thought . Un l ike ma ny who came t o Ame ric& with preset ldeol og i cn l notiono of democracy , Tocquev l lie was abl e t o ho ld his pr econccptlontJ at. a d iotance wh ile Observi ng. This e ~~b l ed him to give a somewhat more accu rate Rccou nt of the pol itical and socia l ins-:: itut ions he observed in the United States . If one compa r ed t he writings of Tocqueville with . for exam ple . those of Thomas Paine . one might discover he ... a n nbnence of bllndinR ideolog i ca l prefere nces i n Tocquev1l1e ' s case adds to hill uniqueness as an observer of Ame r i can i nstitutions . Thoma s Pa i ne was one of the gr eat oo t propagn nd luta nnd • pol i t i cal pam phleteerti who ever lived. But he w a~ not nn as tute observer . He came t o Amer i ca f r om Engl and w 1t.h preconceived notions of government and t he ~ o mmo n man . A l ong h i story of ea rly ha rd s hips had instilled i n him n hatred of government and a ris tocracy , together wi th an unbl emished r egard for the common man. Common Sense was n brilliant r eflect ion of wha t t ho common man in Amer ica was feel ing in 1775. Bu t it will never rank high as nn ex planat ion of Am erican character or ins titut i ons. In contras t to Pa i ne, Tocqueville 8eems t o have the uncanny abili ty to shed preconceived notions and impress ions of hio aristocratic past enabling him to give an accurate and • ...." rc9ptive Ilcc\'Iunt of demucnti c mores in the United S tates . ) I t is t h is ahillty of Tocq uev!.l1e t o oh~d hill .. ristocr atlc • ~ro u ndin po that adds to the un iq le ncsG a nd detachm en~ of his writin p'~ . Toeq'lovill c , more than r'lost poUtical \.. riters anr:! tr lnkc rn of the c i rhtccnt h a nd ninete enth centuries , ·... as a hle to p i ve a n ex~rno rd in n ri l y obj ect ive aeco lnt of 1CMocra tic in!:: t i tilt iono in Ar.H~ r i en. As Den,tnM in r' . ','ir i"'h t po in ts o'll , " '!'oc q'lcvlltc saw with 8r:'!a7.inp clarity , where othero !law h'lt ha7ilv i f a t a l l. thnt danoerney was on the 'NI\\' , that the hr oaden i np: 0 power and priviter a \'o'ns nn incvita t>le star e of IVlI'Ian evo l u tion." l For a f.urope a n a r istocr at t o make this forecRot r e qu ired a l a r ge mcasun~ o f detact,Ment.