Originally published on May 9, 2022 (Episode 263)
Introduction
This is the second and concluding part of my conversation with Olivier Zunz about his new biography The Man Who Understood Democracy: A Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022). When we left Tocqueville in Part One, he had just achieved instant fame with the publication of the first volume of Democracy in America.
In this episode, we follow him through the second act of his career: his formative trip to Britain and how it shaped the writing of Volume II; his entry into politics and his often-frustrating experiences in public life; his response to the Revolution of 1848 and the rise of the Second Empire; and finally, his Ancien Régime and the French Revolution. We end with Tocqueville’s last days, when both in France and America the democratic experiment to which he had devoted his life seemed on the brink of failure.
About the Guest
Olivier Zunz is James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia. His books include The Man Who Understood Democracy: A Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022) and Philanthropy in America: A History (Princeton University Press, 2012). He has edited the Library of America edition of Democracy in America, as well as Tocqueville’s Recollections: The French Revolution of 1848 and Its Aftermath and Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont in America: Their Friendship and Their Travels, all in collaboration with the translator Arthur Goldhammer. He has also co-edited The Tocqueville Reader: A Life in Letters and Politics.
For Further Investigation
Olivier Zunz, The Man Who Understood Democracy: A Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022)
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, translated by Arthur Goldhammer,
edited by Olivier Zunz (Library of America)
Arthur Goldhammer, “Alexis de Tocqueville collaboration results in long-running partnership—and now, a special seminar”
Eduardo Nolla (ed.), Democracy in America – benchmark historical-critical edition
💬 Listen & Discuss
Was Tocqueville’s vision of democracy as liberty and equality prophetic—or flawed from the beginning? What can his early journey to America teach us about how outsiders perceive the United States? Share your reflections in the comments, and pass this episode along to anyone who has wrestled with Democracy in America.
