Tocqueville Flaws

Democracy in the United States has had many interpretations based on success and failures, Alexis de Tocqueville initially details how in comparison to Europe, the United States has established a problematic and darker side of democracy. American Democracy like any “great experiment” is undoubtedly bound to have flaws, Tocqueville highlights these flaws he noticed on his nine-month trip to the United States. The reason Tocqueville chose to focus on the United States, in particular, is because its “development has been the most peaceful and the most complete,” therefore, his observations allowed him to see “the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions.” The United States served as a reference
In Europe, there was an aristocracy and a peasantry, therefore, land and money were fixed. Individuals were not judged based on land and money because it was common knowledge on who has it and who simply does not. This fixed outcome was not based on one’s own hard work, instead, it was a result of innate power based on the family one was born into. This was uncontrollable, therefore, it did not have the same significance as in America. In America there was no aristocracy, thus no fixed common knowledge of power. This simple fact changed the way in which the democracy of America shifted into one with capitalistic ties. As opposed to Europe, in America, an individual was judged based on their acquired assets since everyone essentially started a brand new life in this country with no ties to anything. This fostered the idea of meritocracy, the idea that there is “equal opportunity for all to rise economically and socially, stemmed from the fact that America was formed as a new settler society.” This flawed notion did the opposite of what it was meant to do according to Tocqueville. It divided the country based on these assets as Tocqueville claims “fortunes are territorial there is no aristocracy, but simply the class of the rich and that of the poor.” Consequently, this democracy could not serve to provide equality. As we see in our country and the countries we visited the idea of meritocracy is prevalent in our everyday realities. Not many European countries “profited” from this part of Tocqueville’s argument. There are some parties in government in 3/4 of the countries we visited (United Kingdom, Belgium, and France) who are trying to shift towards an “anti-capitalistic” form of government, but their power is minimal and non-existent in the Netherlands and the United