Referat Constitutionalism - The Tyranny Of The Majority
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Constitutionalism: The Tyranny of the Majority
In this excerpt from Democracy in America Alexis Tocqueville expresses
his sentiments about the United States democratic government.
Tocqueville believes the government s nature exists in the absolute
supremacy of the majority, meaning that those citizens of the United
States who are of legal age control legislation passed by the
government. However, the power of the majority can exceed its limits.
Tocqueville believed that the United States was a land of equality,
liberty, and political wisdom. He considered it be a land where the
government only served as the voice of the its citizens. He compares the
government of the US to that of European systems. To him, European
governments were still constricted by aristocratic privilege, the people
had no hand in the formation of their government, let alone, there every
day lives. He held up the American system as a successful model of what
aristocratic European systems would inevitably become, systems of
democracy and social equality. Although he held the American democratic
system in high regards, he did have his concerns about the systems
shortcomings. Tocqueville feared that the virtues he honored, such as
creativity, freedom, civic participation, and taste, would be endangered
by "the tyranny of the majority." In the United States the majority
rules, but whose their to rule the majority. Tocqueville believed that
the majority, with its unlimited power, would unavoidably turn into a
tyranny. He felt that the moral beliefs of the majority would interfere
with the quality of the elected legislators. The idea was that in a
great number of men there was more intelligence, than in one individual,
thus lacking quality in legislation. Another disadvantage of the
majority was that the interests of the majority always were preferred to
that of the minority. Therefore, giving the minority no chance to voice
concerns. Even though the minority was free to think differently, they
were alienated because of their individuality.
In conclusion, Tocqueville viewed the American democratic system as the
archetype of success compared to the monarchical systems of Europe.
Although, the US government proved to be a successful one, it still had
its faults. Tocqueville believed that the majority would create a
tyranny because there was no limit put on its power. Thus, alienating
the minority.
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