rereading tocqueville

“Democracy in America” was written over a century and a half ago, but surprisingly enough, it mantains its interest in spite of the fact that historic circumstances and cultural codes are significantly different. Beyond the description of the American political model, Tocqueville develops by abstraction his fundamental ideas on Democracy, Equal Conditions, Political Freedom, Individualism, Centralism and Despotism, which are the Key to the vault of his work. The first three concepts mentioned above are intrinsically integrated due to the fact that Democracy is conceived as a social status where equality prevails, and at the same time, as a political regime where Political Freedom is acknowledged. On the other hand, Individualism and Centralism are considered a hindrance to Democracy that may lead to Despotism which may adopt different forms: “Despotisme d’un seul”, “Tirany of a Mayority” and finally “Democratic Despotism” or a Beaurocratic Centered State, to which he dedicates the last part of “Democracy in the Fortys” and with which he puts the final end to his work.