L]egal charity has not only taken freedom of movement from the English poor but also from those who are threatened by poverty. -from "Memoir on Pauperism" Inspired by a trip to England at a time when that nation was in the throes of political, social, and economic strife and poverty was rampant, political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville developed his theories on civil society as it relates to its poorest members and set them down in this 1835 essay. With keen insight, he explains: .why the richest nations have the most paupers .why private charity is more likely to alleviate poverty than...

This antiquarian book contains the second volume of Alexis de Tocqueville's seminal book, 'Democracy in America'. Within this text, Tocqueville analyses the living standards and social conditions of individuals, and in particular their connection to the market and state in Western societies. 'Democracy in America' was published subsequent to Tocqueville's travels in the United States, and is considered an early work of sociology and political science. The chapters of this book include: 'How the Americans Combat Individualism by the Principle of Self-Interest Rightly Understood', 'That The...

Alexis de Tocqueville ve svém proslaveném díle Demokracie v Americe (I. díl 1835, II. díl 1840) jako první pochopil rozporuplnou povahu rovnosti a demokracie, její tendenci „požírat samu sebe“ standardizací podmínek i smýšlení až k jakési tyranii většinové průměrnosti, která limituje jedinečnost i kulturu a vede ke konformitě většiny. Předpovídal příchod tržního blahobytu, průmyslové oligarchie, zaopatřovacího pečovatelského státu i nesmyslného byrokratického plánování a směřování k centralizaci. Vystihl všechny podstatné hodnoty západní...