On the US social contract Alexis de Tocqueville

tocqueville s penetrating analysis sought understand peculiar nature of political life. in describing us, agreed thinkers such aristotle , montesquieu balance of property determined balance of political power, conclusions after differed radically of predecessors. tocqueville tried understand why different europe in last throes of aristocracy. us, in contrast aristocratic ethic, society hard work , money-making dominant ethic, common man enjoyed level of dignity unprecedented, commoners never deferred elites, , described crass individualism , market capitalism had taken root extraordinary degree.

tocqueville writes: among democratic people, there no hereditary wealth, every man works earn living.... labor held in honor; prejudice not against in favor.

alexis de tocqueville

tocqueville asserted values had triumphed in north , present in south had begun suffocate old-world ethics , social arrangements. legislatures abolished primogeniture , entails, resulting in more distributed land holdings. contrast general aristocratic pattern in eldest child, man, inherited estate, had effect of keeping large estates intact generation generation.

in us, in contrast, landed elites less pass on fortunes single child action of primogeniture, meant time went by, large estates became broken within few generations which, in turn, made children more equal overall. not negative development, according joshua kaplan s interpretation of tocqueville, since bonds of affection , shared experience between children replaced more formal relation between eldest child , siblings, characteristic of previous aristocratic pattern. overall, in new democracies, hereditary fortunes became exceedingly difficult secure , more people forced struggle own living.

this rapidly democratizing society, tocqueville understood it, had population devoted middling values wanted amass, through hard work, vast fortunes. in tocqueville s mind, explained why america different europe. in europe, claimed, nobody cared making money. lower classes had no hope of gaining more minimal wealth, while upper classes found crass, vulgar, , unbecoming of sort care unseemly money; many virtually guaranteed wealth , took granted. @ same time in america, workers see people fashioned in exquisite attire , merely proclaim through hard work possess fortune necessary enjoy such luxuries.

despite maintaining aristotle, montesquieu, , others balance of property determined balance of power, tocqueville argued that, america showed, equitable property holdings did not ensure rule of best men. in fact, did quite opposite. widespread, relatively equitable property ownership distinguished , determined mores , values explained why masses held elites in such contempt.