Alexis de Tocqueville's Analysis of Democracy in America

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont spent 9 months in the U.S. studying American prisons for the French authorities. Their investigation wasn't limited to just the prison system but encompassed all aspects of American life—political, economic, religious, cultural, and especially the social fabric of the young nation. From Tocqueville's extensive notes emerged the groundbreaking work, Democracy in America .

This English-only version of "Democracy in America" features Eduardo Nolla’s insightful notes on James Schleifer’s translation of the French text. The notes delve into early outlines, drafts, manuscript variants, marginalia, unpublished fragments, and other materials. Nolla explains, “This new 'Democracy' not only reflects Tocqueville's original work in 1835 and 1840 but also reveals his process in developing the key concepts of this book." Explore how Tocqueville shaped his ideas in this edition.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a French writer and statesman from 1805 to 1859, is best known for his insightful observations on democracy in America. As a highly regarded figure in French history, Tocqueville's works continue to captivate readers interested in democracy and America's unique political landscape.

Eduardo Nolla is a Professor on the Universidad San Pablo-CEU, Madrid.

James T. Schleifer is emeritus Dean of the Library and Professor of Historical past on the Faculty of New Rochelle and has been a visiting lecturer at Yale College.