![]() ![]() The more conscious Americans were of political equality, the more they turned away from their fellow citizens and delegated the task of government to an ever larger, ever more anonymous state. The upshot of all this is a terrible irony: the stronger democracy became, the quicker public squares and townhouses were emptied. When he looked beyond the institutions and the laws, and burrowed deep into the lives of American citizens, Tocqueville saw that as democracy spread into their lives, they developed a deep-seated taste for order, material comfort, peace and security. ![]() What Tocqueville discovered, however, was quite different. If everyone has an equal voice in the making of the laws, why should anyone accept their authority? A democratic society would surely be a firestorm of chaos and anarchy. Democratic government, they thought, could only tear itself to pieces. When Tocqueville went to America, he probably shared the view of most of his countrymen that democracy was doomed to fail. ![]() After all, what can a 150 year old treatise on American democracy, written by a young French aristocrat, have to say of any relevance to us about our communities and what it means for them to work well? Far more than I thought possible. That’s a big claim to make, and as I write these words I can’t help feeling surprised at the thought. This was the book that had the greatest impact on the way I related to the people around me. ![]()
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