In the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville published De la démocratie en Amérique, a work that put forward a general theory of democracy. By considering equality to be a condition of freedom and democracy, he advocated a new social contract. How can Tocqueville's thinking shed light on our present situation, which is marked by increasing polarisation in the political arena? Are the current political situations in the United States and France comparable?
By Olivier Zunz, Professor Emeritus, US History, University of Virginia, author of Tocqueville. L'homme qui comprit la démocratie (Fayard, 2024)
And Cédric Enjalbert, deputy editor-in-chief, Philosophie magazine.