"Democratie en Amerique, a study of American democracy, was written with an eye to conditions in France and Europe after the French Revolution of 1789. Tocqueville's theory was that in a modern democratic society, with power concentrated in the hands of a central government, the ideal of equality leads to a loss of liberty. This loss is exacerbated when the masses demand that political equality be matched by economic equality. His 'distasteful conclusions' are argued with masterly clarity and objectivity."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved