Research On Tocquevilte’s Democratic Thought

The research on Tocqueville’s democratic thought in this thesis is basic on thefact of the condition of equality. As the fundamental fact, the condition of equalitycreates democratic trend which is providence moving to force majeure. Tocquevilleattaches great importance to the originality of the equality of conditions, especially inDemocracy in America Volume Ⅱ, making comprehensive analysis of democracy onthe whole social equality impact, such as intelligence activities, feelings, and howmanners shaped by democracy imposes on the influence of the political society. Theemergence of equal status is no less than in a brand-new change. Therefore, the doubtof democratic era from Mill turns to be irrelevant.Human equality is berated from God, making individual from slavery state wonindependence, which seems something exciting but implies great threat. The conceptof equality introducing by the church and establishing by the inheritance law finally,Tocqueville clearly see the paradox existing in equality by comparing the aristocraticsociety and democratic society. Equality gives everyone the same opportunity tochange his situation, but causes every man involving in the broader and furiouscompetition. Since the limited social class destroyed by equality, everybody becomeisolated individual without any protection, and throw himself to the mighty powereasily. In France the individual attaches to a strong central government power, whileon majority and public opinion in the United States.We can find the trace of the principle of sovereignty in American everywhere,but we will see that precautionary measures towards tyranny of the majority isrelatively weak. The majority tends to dominate everything, which means the opinionfrom majority must follow. Individual is extremely weak, while most is always correct.This threat is more close to thought autocracy and has strong force in trending directlyto every person. The precipice manifests the test of people by God. When equalitypermeate everyone`s awareness, individual need to know how to treat others in thesame circumstance, how to disentangle the suppress from similarity, lest the freedomto be deprived of. So we should keep on the alert in democratic age, and put an end tothe combination of democracy and autocracy.The “limited most” principle emphasizing by Sartori is a good response to thethreat of tyranny of the majority. By this, most, though still powerful, leaving space for the minority. It has no fixed and absolute scope, and also allows the majority andminority to change. This ensures the university of the concept of people in theory, butthis may lead to a problem in democratic society-legislation and administrativeinstability, which need some social power to curb democratic instincts. Americans stillis lucky, they have treating strategies to alleviate the diseases above: the prevalence oflocal self-freedom, jury system, and religious forces to restrict the individualism. Asthe nobility in society, jurists restrict democratic instinct and constantly adjust theboundary between the private sector and the public domain.We attempt to examine the democracy progress in the United States and Francein this article, to find out the origins in the current democratic dilemma, in order tomade clear in the democratic system when further perfection through followinghistory. We do not make detailed analysis of multiple difficulties the moderndemocratic suffered, and do not have specific comparing the ancient democracy andmodern democracy. Instead, we are focus on analysis of the possible error whendesigning the democratic system, especially to the French society literati politics. Westand by Tocqueville at this point. Some designs, like Rousseauism, entirely ignorethe reality and just construct ideal society rationally in brain. Even though the originalintention is good, but leaving a legacy of endless. Tocqueville warns the newcomersthat we must combine theory and experience appropriately in order to achievedemocracy.