Life Alexis de Tocqueville

1 life

1.1 travels
1.2 minister of foreign affairs (1849)
1.3 death (1859)

life

alexis de tocqueville came old norman aristocratic family ancestors participated in battle of hastings in 1066. parents, hervé louis françois jean bonaventure clérel, comte de tocqueville, officer of constitutional guard of king louis xvi, , louise madeleine le peletier de rosanbo, narrowly escaped guillotine, due fall of robespierre in 1794.

under bourbon restoration, tocqueville s father became noble peer , prefect. tocqueville attended lycée fabert in metz.

the fabert school in metz, tocqueville student between 1817 , 1823

tocqueville, despised july monarchy (1830–1848), began political career in 1839. 1839 1851, served deputy of manche department (valognes). in parliament, defended abolitionist views , upheld free trade, while supporting colonisation of algeria carried on louis-philippe s regime. tocqueville elected general counsellor of manche in 1842, , became president of department s conseil général between 1849 , 1851. according 1 account, tocqueville s political position became untenable during time in sense mistrusted both left , right, , looking excuse leave france.

travels

in 1831, obtained july monarchy mission examine prisons , penitentiaries in america, , proceeded there lifelong friend gustave de beaumont. while tocqueville did visit prisons, traveled in america , took extensive notes observations , reflections. returned within 9 months, , published report, real result of tour de la démocratie en amerique, appeared in 1835. beaumont wrote account of travels in jacksonian america: marie or slavery in united states (1835). during trip made side trip lower canada montreal , quebec city mid august september 1831.

apart america, tocqueville made observational tour of england, producing memoir on pauperism. in 1841 , 1846, traveled algeria. first travel inspired travail sur l algérie, in criticized french model of colonisation, based on assimilationist view, preferring instead british model of indirect rule, avoided mixing different populations together. went far openly advocating racial segregation between european colonists , arabs through implementation of 2 different legislative systems (a half century before implementation of 1881 indigenous code based on religion).

in 1835, tocqueville made journey through ireland. observations provide 1 of best pictures of how ireland stood before great famine (1845–49). observations chronicle growing catholic middle-class , appalling conditions in catholic tenant farmers lived. tocqueville made clear both libertarian sympathies , affinity irish co-religionists.

after fall of july monarchy during february 1848 revolution, tocqueville elected member of constituent assembly of 1848, became member of commission charged drafting of new constitution of second republic (1848–51). defended bicameralism (the wisdom of 2 parliamentary chambers) , election of president of republic universal suffrage. countryside thought more conservative labouring population of paris, universal suffrage conceived means counteract revolutionary spirit of paris.

during second republic, tocqueville sided parti de l ordre against socialists. few days after february insurrection, believed violent clash between parisian workers population led socialists agitating in favor of democratic , social republic , conservatives, included aristocracy , rural population, inescapable. tocqueville had foreseen, these social tensions exploded during june days uprising of 1848.

led general cavaignac, suppression supported tocqueville, advocated regularization of state of siege declared cavaignac, , other measures promoting suspension of constitutional order. between may , september, tocqueville participated in constitutional commission wrote new constitution. proposals underlined importance of american experience, amendment president , reelection.

minister of foreign affairs (1849)

caricature honoré daumier, 1849.



tocqueville @ 1851 commission de la révision de la constitution à l assemblée nationale .

a supporter of cavaignac , of parti de l ordre, tocqueville, however, accepted invitation enter odilon barrot s government minister of foreign affairs 3 june 31 october 1849. there, during troubled days of june 1849, pleaded jules dufaure, interior minister, reestablishment of state of siege in capital , approved arrest of demonstrators. tocqueville, since february 1848 had supported laws restricting political freedoms, approved 2 laws voted after june 1849 days, restricted liberty of clubs , freedom of press.

this active support in favor of laws restricting political freedoms stands in contrast of defense of freedoms in democracy in america. according tocqueville, favored order sine qua non conduct of serious politics. [hoped] bring kind of stability french political life permit steady growth of liberty unimpeded regular rumblings of earthquakes of revolutionary change.″

tocqueville had supported cavaignac against louis napoléon bonaparte presidential election of 1848. opposed louis napoléon s 2 december 1851 coup followed election, tocqueville among deputies gathered @ 10th arrondissement of paris in attempt resist coup , have napoleon iii judged high treason , had violated constitutional limit on terms of office. detained @ vincennes , released, tocqueville, supported restoration of bourbons against napoleon iii s second empire (1851–71), quit political life , retreated castle (château de tocqueville).

against image of tocqueville, biographer joseph epstein has concluded: tocqueville never bring himself serve man considered usurper , despot. fought best political liberty in ardently believed – had given it, in all, thirteen years of life [....] spend days remaining him fighting same fight, conducting libraries, archives, , own desk. there, began draft of l ancien régime et la révolution, publishing first tome in 1856, leaving second 1 unfinished.

death (1859)

a longtime sufferer bouts of tuberculosis, tocqueville succumb disease on 16 april 1859. buried in tocqueville cemetery in normandy.

tocqueville s professed religion roman catholicism. saw religion being compatible both equality , individualism, , felt religion strongest when separated politics.