Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (French: [alɛksi də tɔkvil]; 29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859), colloquially known as Tocqueville (), was a French aristocrat, diplomat, political scientist, political philosopher and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both, he analysed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville’s travels in the United States and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (French: [alɛksi də tɔkvil]; 29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859), colloquially known as Tocqueville (), was a French aristocrat, diplomat, political scientist, political philosopher and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both, he analysed the improved blooming standards and social conditions of individuals as with ease as their association to the promote and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville’s travels in the United States and is today considered an early perform of sociology and diplomatic science.
Tocqueville was active in French politics, first below the July Monarchy (1830–1848) and next during the Second Republic (1849–1851) which succeeded the February 1848 Revolution. He retired from political life after Louis Napoléon Bonaparte’s 2 December 1851 coup and thereafter began discharge duty on The Old Regime and the Revolution. Tocqueville argued the importance of the French Revolution was to continue the process of modernizing and centralizing the French allow in which had begun below King Louis XIV. The failure of the Revolution came from the inexperience of the deputies who were too wedded to abstract Enlightenment ideals.
Tocqueville was a classical radical who advocated parliamentary meting out and was skeptical of the extremes of democracy. During his period in parliament, he sat on the centre-left, but the highbrow and nervous nature of his liberalism has led to contrasting interpretations and admirers across the embassy spectrum. Regarding his embassy position, Tocqueville wrote “the word ‘left’ is […] the word I wanted to complement to my name for that reason that it would remain attached to it forever”.