2024 the best democracy in the world review

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Originally penned in the mid-eighteenth century by Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America remains one of the most penetrating and astute picture of American life, politics, and morals ever written, as relevant today as when it first appeared in print nearly two hundred years ago.

This edition, based on the revised and corrected text of the 1961 French edition and meticulously edited by the distinguished de Tocqueville scholar J. P. Mayer, is widely recognized as the preeminent translation.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Harper Perennial Modern Classics edition (August 29, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 777 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061127922
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061127922
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1310L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.5 inches
Reviewer: L.C. Brown
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Rated A+
Review: Outstanding! Even though a bit of a dull beginning, in the end, this book is worthwhile reading by every student and citizen of our country, as it gives a view of America after 50 years since its Constitution was undertaken and gives us cultural traits that still resonate today. He would be pleased to know that we lasted this long, frankly, as he gave dire predictions of how most democracies crater to despots. He clearly shows that although people claim individuality in our country, through our universal voting of representatives, we are ruled by society, and the central (federal) government will increase no matter what, to meet the needs of the socially unequal - since our goal in democracies is total equality. There is a surprise at the end, too, where he gives his personal views. Reading up on what happened in France after he finished these two volumes is pretty sad. Must have made him really disheartened in the last decade of his life Thankfully, he did not live long enough to see America's Civil War begin, although he predicted that the slavery issue probably would result in a rebellion.

Reviewer: Liam P.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Brilliant. Original. Insightful.
Review: I'm getting up there in years and I am constantly reading and contemplating our country, its origins and the philosophy underpinning its creation. It's really uncommon for me to read a book from which I learn something new on every other page, but that has been the case with this book, which I've read twice now. And this book is over 700 pages, so that is a lot of intellectual epiphanies to have between the covers of a book. I haven't read other translations, but I have a hard time believing there is a better translation than this one. And I'm not alone in that assessment. People much more educated than me have said the same thing. Absolutely beautiful prose and de Tocqueville's many profound observations come through with perfect clarity.

Reviewer: Fearless
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: George Lawrence is the clearest and easier to understand translation
Review: The best translation and easier to understand is the George Lawrence from Harper Perennial.Lawrence’s translation is the most accurate, clear and most importantly honest translation to date.Every paragraph is understandable the first time you read it.The only bad thing about this book is that the font is a little bit blurry.The recent Mansfield translation has a neoconservative spin and is not that clear.The Library of America version translated by Arthur Goldhammer is understandable but sometimes it requires a second reading to have a clear idea of what is being said.The Everyman's Library version, translated by Henry Reeve, is the least clear of all. You can still understand it but the translator unnecessarily complicated the syntax making it look more sophisticated that it needs to be.The Library of America, Everyman's Library's and Mansfield versions are beautiful books with clear fonts.The Mansfield translators are well know for their conservative views, writings and teachings.George Lawrence’s is still the most accurate, clear and most importantly honest translation to date.Here are some comparisons between the Mansfiedl and Lawrence translations:Tocqueville criticizes Connecticut lawgivers for copying from the Bible to establish laws.On page 41 of the Lawrence translation it says: If an man after legal conviction shall have or worship any other God bu the Lord God, he shall be put to death.There follow ten or twelve provisions of the same sort take word for word from Deuteronomy, Exodus, or Leviticus.Mansfield translation says on page 38: If any man (after legal conviction), shall have or worship any other God but the Lord God,” they say to begin with, “ he shall be put to death”There follow ten or twelve provisions of the same nature, borrowed from the texts of Deutoronomy, Exodus, and Leviticus.Tocqueville used the French word “textuellement”.The word is even sideways to emphasize the fact the the lawgivers were copying textually, word for word the Bible to come up with their laws.By using the word “borrowed” Mansfield distorts what Tocqueville clearly wrote, that the lawgivers where copying textually from the Bible to make their laws.Borrowed is not the same as textually, word for word or copying. Borrowing means that you are going to use some ideas or words but not copy.Mansfield distorts the meaning.Was he trying to hide or dismiss Tocqueville’s criticism of lawgivers making laws by textually copying word from word from a Bible?On page 10 Lawrence correctly translates: Even more often we find kings giving the lower classes in the state a share in government in order to humble the aristocracy.Mansfield translates on page 4: Even more often one saw the kings have the lower classes of the state participate in the government in order to bring down the aristocracy.The original french says: afin d'abaisser, (with the purpose of lowering) which in this context doesn’t mean that kings wanted to bring down aristocracy. That would mean that they wanted the aristocracies destroyed, as when you say: I’m going to bring you down.Once again Lawrence correctly uses the word humble which correctly communicates that the kings wanted to diminish aristocracy’s power, not to bring them down.Was Mansfield trying to scare or warn current aristocracies by using the words bring down instead of humbling?Mansfield translation could easily be included in Tocqueville’s admonition to Reeve’s on his first translation into English on a letter he wrote from France:Your translation must maintain my attitude; this I demand not only from the translator, but from the man. It has seemed to me that in the translation of the last book you have, without wanting it, following the instinct of your opinions, very lively colored what was contrary to democracy and rather appeased what could do wrong to aristocracy.

Reviewer: SanNic44
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Brilliant Interpretation of America's Beginnings
Review: Alexis de Tocqueville sees America, her people and institutions, from a foreign perspective and draws numerous insights which are timeless. His ability to contrast early American culture with Europe and cultures of ages past shows the reader how and why things were different in America at the time of his visit. Each of the pieces fits together well, progressing along a line of growing appreciation from a man willing to see things as they are as opposed to one who simply wants to critique. Perhaps most compelling are the warnings de Tocqueville sets forth, many of which have not been heeded by America. These prescriptions for continued social harmony no doubt should be revisited and examined for their ability to bring about the best outcomes for all. In any case, de Tocqueville presents an excellent political primer for anyone interested in a deep understanding of social structure, it's causes, benefits, and hazards.

Reviewer: Annie P.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A classic
Review: DeT's impressions of America are entertaining and sometimes shocking.

Reviewer: sue
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A timeless, prophetic classic
Review: This is a classic. A timeless classic. A prophetic classic. This was written back in the day when it took greatness to get funded , and then your expedition and research took years, and great people allowed time to write well. And the educated folks wrote to distant posterity. And time went by and blew away the chaff. This is the surviving kernel of truth and honesty before the era of political correctness. I'm done with dated writings targeting best seller status in the facebook era."Everywhere I go I'm asked if the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher." -- Flannery O'Connor

Reviewer: ThoughtFood1984
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: 10/10