Critics and Challenges to Democracy

Critics and Challenges to Democracy

Critical Analysis

This work acclaimed de Tocqueville, predicted for several events that eventually manifested themselves. It correctly predicted the debate on the abolition of slavery when America tears during its civil war. It also predicts the emergence of the United States and Russia as the two superpowers of the world, leading to the polarization (that the world would know as the Cold War). In addition, the opportunity presented in this book that people come to give up their freedom in favor of greater equality, manifested itself in the twentieth century in the form of various totalitarian regimes. Democracy is primarily a political system based on institutions, but for Tocqueville, is more than a social state where there is equality of conditions and subjective feelings, "the passion for equality.” In America, popular sovereignty, based on the majority principle, is inextricably linked to social democracy i.e. men are free and equal (Swedberg, 2009).

Equality of political rights, pluralism of opinions and universal suffrage are characteristic of the mode of power in a democracy. The equality of civil rights has social consequences. Thus, the absence of primogeniture and equal sharing of inheritance modify the behavior and opinions in a sustainable way, as everyone owns the power associated with the earth is spread, and everyone is aware of the need to maintain the right property to keep his property and his freedom to act (doctrine "in the interest of course" or "enlightened love of themselves"). The rights granted to individuals in democratic societies, exerts a function of socialization, the transmission of values, norms and practices. In this way, individuals are encouraged to respect the laws that are guaranteed by the United States. The existence of juries in criminal and civil law, as well as "self-government" in the municipality through associations, promote the acquisition of a "know-rule" and the desire to maintain freedom.

This equality of rights results in a level of the playing field, this does not mean the end of inequality as it continues to be the masters (employers) and employees, but social mobility is possible. Inequalities are not included in the statutes as is the case in aristocratic societies. It is under contract (an agreement between equals, which induces the subordination of the employee) that this is accepted. For Tocqueville, "slow and gradual rise of wages is one of the general laws of democratic societies". He deduced a trend averaging of democratic societies (Janara, 2002). This averaging is visible in several ways: the intelligence, the wealth, incomes are equalized since all individuals are forced to practice a profession for life and that education is accessible to everyone, takes on a utility. Tocqueville shows "how to soften the manners as conditions become equal" sympathy for his fellow men and mutual aid to encourage "the Americans have almost eliminated the death penalty in their code," the revolutionary risk reduced.

Tocqueville says about the two groups, blacks and women who fought in the twentieth century in order to obtain equal ...