One of the most influential political texts ever written on America, and an indispensable authority on the nature of democracy

In 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville, a young French aristocrat and civil servant, made a nine-month journey through eastern America. The result was Democracy in America, a monumental study of the strengths and weaknesses of the nation's evolving politics. Tocqueville looked to the flourishing democratic system in America as a possible model for post-revolutionary France, believing its egalitarian ideals reflected the spirit of the age. This edition, the only one that contains all Tocqueville's writings on America, includes the rarely translated 'Two Weeks in the Wilderness', an evocative account of Tocqueville's travels among the Iroquois and Chippeway, and 'Excursion to Lake Oneida'.

Translated by Gerald Bevan with an Introduction and Notes by Isaac Kramnick

About the Author
The French sociologist and historian, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) was active in the law and served for a time as foreign minister. He also wrote L'Ancien Regime. Gerald Bevan is the translator. Issac Kramnick is Professor of Government at Cornell and edited The Federalist Papers for Penguin.

Reviews
"No better study of a nation's institutions and culture than Tocqueville's Democracy in America has ever been written by a foreign observer." -The New York Times

"The Bradley edition of Tocqueville's classic is the best now available in English." -Charles A. Beard

"Professor Bradley's edition should remain the standard one for our time." -F. O. Matthiessen

With an Introduction by Alan Ryan



Book Information
ISBN 9780140447606
Author Alexis Tocqueville
Format Paperback
Page Count 992
Imprint Penguin Classics
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 671g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 42mm