A review by skitch41
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

4.0

Be warned: the title of this book is a little misleading. De Tocqueville did not just write about democracy in America, but about democracy in general and its effects on people's habits, "mores," and beliefs. In fact, it is more of a survey on democracy rather than on America, but since America was one of the few examples of a fully formed democracy in the world at the time he wrote and he had toured extensively beforehand, many of de Tocqueville's observations are colored by his views on America. Regardless, most of his observations, predictions, and fears about democracy and America are spot on, even nearly 200 years later. Especially enlightening are two points: that democracy will ultimately lead to equality of conditions and that religion is a one of the strongest glues that hold democratic societies together. The first point is evident in society today, but the second is much more debatable and has led me to ponder the relationship between democracy and religion a lot more than any of de Tocqueville's other points. However, like many classic texts, be it fiction or non-fiction, this book does have its dull moments that must take some trudging along to finish. Still, for anyone interested in American government and in democracy in general, there is no better text than this.