Tocqueville between two worlds the making of a political and theoretical life

659 Pages·2003·3.041 MB·English

by  Tocqueville, de Alexis;Wolin, Sheldon S

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TOCQUEVILLE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
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TOCQUEVILLE
TS
BETWEEN
TWO WORLDS
The Making of a
Political and
Theoretical Life
SHELDON S. WOLIN
princeton university press
princeton and oxford
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Copyright©2001byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,3MarketPlace,
Woodstock,OxfordshireOX201SY
AllRightsReserved
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Wolin,SheldonS.
Tocquevillebetweentwoworlds:themakingofapolitical
andtheoreticallife/SheldonS.Wolin.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-691-07436-4
1.Tocqueville,Alexisde,1805–1859—Contributionsin
politicalscience. 2.Tocqueville,Alexisde,1805–1859—
Contributionsindemocracy.I.Title.
JC229.T8W652001
320'.092—dc21
[B] 00-065207
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinAdobeGaramond
Printedonacid-freepaper.∞
www.pup.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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For
Arno J. Mayer
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CONTENTS
acknowledgments
ix
Introduction 3
PART ONE: THE ABUNDANCE OF POWER 11
Chapter I: Modern Theory and Modern Power 13
Chapter II: Theoria: The Theoretical Journey 34
PART TWO: ENCOUNTERING THE AMAZING 57
Chapter III: Discovering Democracy 59
Chapter IV: Self and Structure 76
Chapter V: Doubt and Disconnection 102
Chapter VI: “ ... the theory of what is great” 113
Chapter VII: Myth and Political Impressionism 132
Chapter VIII: The Spectacle of America 149
PART THREE: THE THEORETICAL ENCAPSULATION
OF AMERICA 169
Chapter IX: Social Contract versus Political Culture 171
Chapter X: The Culture of the Political: “the rituals of
practice” 202
Chapter XI: Feudal America 229
Chapter XII: Majority Rule or Majority Politics 241
Chapter XIII: Centralization and Dissolution 260
Chapter XIV: The Image of Democracy 275
PART FOUR: PERSONA AND THE POLITICS OF THEORY 287
Chapter XV: Tragic Hero, Popular Mask 289
Chapter XVI: The Democratization of Culture 304
viii CONTENTS
Chapter XVII: Despotism and Utopia 339
Chapter XVIII: Old New World, New Old World 365
Chapter XIX: Tocquevillean Democracy 374
Chapter XX: The Penitentiary Temptation 383
PART FIVE: SECOND JOURNEY TO AMERICA 407
Chapter XXI: The Political Education of the Bourgeoisie 409
Chapter XXII: Souvenirs: Recollections In/Tranquillity 428
Chapter XXIII: Souvenirs: Socialism and the Crisis of
the Political 456
Chapter XXIV: The Old Regime and the Revolution: Mythistoricus
et theoreticus 498
Chapter XXV: The Old Regime: Modernization and the
Politics of Loss 531
Chapter XXVI: Postdemocracy 561
notes
573
index
641
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Throughout the final stages of this volume my friend Arno Mayer has
done much to bring this voume to publication. His steady encouragement,
wise counsel, tough-minded criticisms, and helpful suggestions have sus-
tained me and contributed greatly to whatever value the work may have.
Dedicating it to him is a small measure of my gratitude. The errors that re-
main are solely my responsibility.
For several useful suggestions and constructive criticisms I am indebted
to Thomas Dumm and Roger Boesche and to the anonymous reviewer for
Princeton University Press.
I want to thank the staff of Princeton University Press for its many cour-
tesies and competent editorial advice. Thanks to Ann H. Wald for her early
support of the manuscript and special thanks to Ian Malcolm for his help
and encouragement throughout.
My principal source for Tocqueville’s writings is the Oeuvres complètes,
edited by J.-P. Mayer et al. (Paris: Gallimard, 1951–). I have cited it as OC.
Limited use is made of the Oeuvres complètes d’Alexis de Tocqueville, edited
by Gustave de Beaumont (Paris: Michel Lévy Frères, 1860–66). I have cited
it as OC (B).