Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker, historian, and author of the landmark work *Democracy in America* (1835–1840), widely regarded as one of the most penetrating analyses of American society and democratic governance ever written. His observations on equality, individualism, and civic life remain deeply influential in political thought. The Weekly Standard published an excerpt or adaptation of his work in 2009, applying his enduring insights to contemporary American politics.
It seems that if despotism came to be established in the democratic nations of our day, it would have other characteristics: it would be more extensive and milder, and it would degrade men without tormenting them. . . .