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A review by kayoreads
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
4.0
The title alone to this book is daunting; I mean, how could someone approach such a topic? More immediately, why would I even want to read it? But Democracy in America is a masterpiece. I was consistently amazed and sometimes even amused by de Tocqueville's coverage of seemingly every little aspect of American government and life. Reading this book is equivalent to stepping back into the fledgling United States, but even more interesting because it's through the eyes of a foreigner looking for an example to use in his own country.
Democracy in America is obviously a very in-depth work, and is certainly hard to get through at points. The vast study of the United States can seem a little irrelevant or unnecessary. But de Tocqueville makes several simple points throughout his work that enlightened me to the origins and workings of my own country, then and now. His intellect is preeminent; he puts forth predictions that more often than not ended up occurring.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in government and history, or government in history. The historical context of the book is one of the most interesting that I can think of, and even the personal context of de Tocqueville's journey and study of America is intriguing. Look it up.
Democracy in America is obviously a very in-depth work, and is certainly hard to get through at points. The vast study of the United States can seem a little irrelevant or unnecessary. But de Tocqueville makes several simple points throughout his work that enlightened me to the origins and workings of my own country, then and now. His intellect is preeminent; he puts forth predictions that more often than not ended up occurring.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in government and history, or government in history. The historical context of the book is one of the most interesting that I can think of, and even the personal context of de Tocqueville's journey and study of America is intriguing. Look it up.