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FINAL EXAM:
de Tocqueville and Post Civil-war
America;
Contemporary America and Liberalism v Republicanism
Paul Weinstein
Box #1913
5/16/96
Pol-309-01
Dr. Lindberg
In 1850s, the 13th edition, the last before the death of Alexis de Tocqueville, of Democracy in America was published. de Tocqueville, in his book, makes notes, and remarks about life in America. Many of his observations at the time, where predictions as to what may happen to America, with its views on equality and liberty. Several of these predictions came true after the Civil War. Problems with people becoming servants of a government is what was predicted, and de Tocqueville was not far off the mark.
Volume One of the book sets the stage of America, its background and statistics at the time. From this start of observations de Tocqueville starts to make deductions about life in America, and some of the problems it may face. The rest of his deductions rest on this on observation "I shall say that in most mental operations each American relies on individual effort and judgment." That Americans trust on what they know, more then anything else.
When it comes to the influence of one man's mind
over another's...since they do not recognize any
signs of incontestable greatness or superiority in any
of their fellows, are continually brought back to
their own judgment as the most apparent and
accessible test of truth.
Any understanding of Americans must start from this understanding. One can hear another's view, but since he has no weight to view those opinions with, he will fall back on his own opinions when making any conclusions on the subject at hand. "There is a great distaste for accepting any man's word as proof of anything" This also leads to a readiness "to deny anything which they cannot understand. Hence they have little faith in anything extraordinary and an almost invincible distaste for the supernatural." This lack of faith is only the beginning of a danger with the American way of life. That danger is that in
equality, while it brings great benefits to
mankind, opens the door...to very dangerous
instincts. It tends to isolate men from each
other so that each thinks only of himself
In America this lack of faith means that the clergy in one instance "guide's minds," yet "leaves men to themselves, to the freedom and instability natural to themselves." That the clergy trying to make room for its own message,
take an interest in the progress of industry and
praise its achievements; while they are ever pointing
to the other world as great object of the
hopes and fears of the faithful, they do not
forbid the honest pursuit of prosperity in this [world].
Far from trying to show that these two worlds
are distinct and opposed to each other, they
seek to discover the points of connection
and alliance
This religion in turn, along with other associations of social and civil life, creates unity between otherwise distanced individuals. "Religion succeeds in struggling successfully with that spirit of individual independence which is its most dangerous enemy."
This danger of total individualism was faced by America before the Civil War. Where people like Thoreau argued for people to take their own path. Even the states in the Union wanted to be able to take their own path. The dangers of this individualism de Tocqueville warns, is that it
disposes each citizen to isolate himself from the
mass of his fellows and withdraw into the circle
of family and friends...Thus, not only does
democracy make men forget their ancestors,
but also clouds their view of their descendants
and isolates them from their contemporaries.
Each man is forever thrown back on himself alone,
and there is danger that he may be shut up in
the solitude of his own heart.
The second, greater danger with equality and democracy is servitude. Equality can "first leads men directly to independence and could suddenly push them right over into anarchy," or it could cause by "a more roundabout and secret but also more certain road, leads to servitude." That this is the greater evil of the two, and servitude can happen when:
democratic peoples give a ready welcome to
simple general ideas...As each sees himself
little different from his neighbors, he
cannot understand why a rule applicable to one
man should not be applied to all the rest...
as conditions become more equal among
people, individuals seem of less and society
of greater importance.
These conditions where the individual is lost, and general ideas are applied to all is what can create servitude to a government or any other power. This is, in fact, what happens to America after the Civil War, where the industry, and industry giants, controlled the people, and the government. The reason why its a danger is that even if
it is not at all tyrannical, but it hinders, restrains,
enervates, stifles, and stultifies so much that in the
end each nation is no more then a flock of timid
and hardworking animals with the government
as its shepherd.
There are two dangers that faced America in pre and post Civil War times. Out of control individualism in Pre-Civil War America and that of the lost individual in Post-Civil War America. These dangers, these two extremes are always going to be facing America, from now on. The only way to protect is to use a balance of the two, to keep from losing all we have done so far, and all of this was observed and deduced by de Tocqueville in the early 1800s.
Since the founding of the American Government. there have been to political theories that have helped create and mold that government. On on end Liberalism, with is focus on the individual, a natural progress, and law, and strong central government verse Republicanism, with its focus on the community, public virtue, and strong local government. These two views have helped create out history, and recently there has been a shift to a more republican view. From Martin Luther King Jr., to Michael Waltzer, Wendell Berry and Michael Sandal, the shift has moved from liberalism to republicanism.
Martin Luther King Jr., in his Letter from Birmingham Jail writes that "I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.' " King feels that individuals would let it be know what they think. This liberal thought of the individual making a "march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to city hall; let him go on freedom rides," also shows the liberal idea of a natural law, or order of things that must be followed so that we may progress.
Michael Waltzer, in Politics in the Welfare State raises some criticisms with liberalism. "At the same time, however, the same process cuts individuals loose, isolates them from communal ties, drives them into a material and then an emotional dependency on the central authorities." So that the strong central government of the liberal ideal, cuts people apart, and makes then depended, on the central government to survive. Waltzer takes up a republican view of protecting the community,
power [is] right here, on this shop floor, in the
university, in this city...and it begins this process
with a modest but urgent demand for a share
right now in the management of this community.
In What are People Looking for?, Wendell Berry worries about community. "For example, when a community loses its memory, its members no longer know one another." As this problem grows "the loss of local culture is, in part, a practical loss and an economic one." We most, the republican view goes on, protect this because
"for one thing, such a culture contains, and coveys to succeeding generations, the history of" the local area, and the people how are, and have been a part of it.
So what does this all mean? That there are limits to liberal thought. These criticisms, and problems that happen come from, as Michael Sandal said in Liberalism and the limits of Justice, the fact that
Liberalism teaches respect for the distance of self
and ends, and when this distance is lost, we are
submerged in a circumstance that ceases to be
ours. But by seeking to secure this distance too
completely, liberalism undermines its own insight.
This happens because "it makes human agency an article of faith rather than an object of continuing attention and concern." Liberal thought again makes people dependent of human agencies, government, and does do not try to control that government, and "this misses the pathos of politics." That this brings a world that when
politics goes badly, not only disappointment but
also dislocations are likely to result. And it forgets
the possibility that when politics goes well, we
can know a good in common that we cannot
know alone.
The liberal individualism removes us from each other, makes us dependent on the government, when the government should be depended on us, and a common good should is lost when things are working well.
Starting with King and working are way to Sandal, we see liberal thought, and then the criticisms of that thought, and the reason why liberal thought can be dangerous. This shift in contemporary times seems to point to a stronger republican view to come in the future. However even republican ideas can cause problems too, just as other writers can point out.
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