Alexis de Tocqueville

Tocqueville was officially sent to the United States alongside Gustave de Beaumont to study the American penal system. They were tasked by the French government to examine the penitentiary system, particularly the use of solitary confinement in places like Sing Sing prison. However, Tocqueville used the nine-month trip to observe nearly all aspects of American political and social life.

Tocqueville argued that democracy was an unstoppable historical trend but warned about its inherent dangers. He specifically highlighted the concept of 'the tyranny of the majority,' warning that popular opinion could easily suppress minority rights and stifle independent thought. He praised American civil society and voluntary associations as vital balancers to democratic excesses.

Yes, years after writing about America, Tocqueville wrote The Old Regime and the Revolution in 1856. This book analyzed the root causes of the 1789 French Revolution, arguing that the French monarchy had heavily centralized power long before the revolution took place. He was heavily involved in French politics himself, serving briefly as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1849.

Unlike today's positive view of the term, Tocqueville initially used 'individualism' as a mild critique, describing a feeling that disposes citizens to isolate themselves from the public sphere. He worried this withdrawal into family circles would sever the social fabric and leave individuals vulnerable to an overarching government. He believed Americans combated this negative individualism through their extensive use of voluntary associations.