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The Destiny of Democracy: Autocracy or Freedom

Author: LiCan
Tutor: ZhaoMing
School: Southwest University of Political Science
Course: Legal Theory
Keywords: democracy destiny autocracy liberty
CLC: D082
Type: PhD thesis
Year: 2009
Downloads: 804
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Abstract

Democracy is originated from the ancient Greek which is an important researching issue for the western scholars.Starting from the praises and commends on democracy by Pericles to the ironies over democracy and the generous death in the name of democracy for Socrates and the animosities or refusals to democracy by many ideologists after Plato and Cicero,even in current situation that democracy becomes the mainstream,there always appears the figure of Tocqueville gleamingly while the public pondering on democracy deeply.Whatever the historical grips or the predictions of the future about democracy,Tocqueville was beyond the antecessors and also the prophet in our times.The most precious point is that Tocqueville was not terrified by the monstrous characters regarding democracy like the predecessors and did not push democracy into the tabernacle by the tide-like hurrahs of the mass either.On the one hand Tocqueville admitted the irresistible tendency of equality under democracy and the inevitable decadence of aristocratism with no hesitations.And he pointed out that the increasing generation of equality about everyone’s identity would be the necessity and the God’s will,which has the following primary features:it is universal and enduring that could get rid of all the traverses by human beings with the diving forces from everything and everyone.On the other hand he also considered that with the disappearance of the old traditions,orders and society,democracy would gifted the powerful independence to the individual and emancipated the great varieties of potentialities and passions of human. However,democracy itself also implies that the enforcement of social powers and the formidable trend to a new sort of enthrallment at the same time.Furthermore he believes that there are two tendencies of equality:one is that the independence by every single individual that could trap into the condition of anarchy;two is the path which is far-flung and ambiguous but direct to enslave indeed.The thoughts about democracy by Tocqueville are profound and extensive,but we could abstract and summarize his standpoint that is the irresistible tendency of democracy.Thought the changeable characteristic about the fate of democracy with the possibilities to liberty or to autocracy,the realization of the liberal democracy would the hard-working and the perseverance for the people living in the age of democracy.So this dissertation is aimed to give a classification about the democratic thoughts by Tocqueville systematically and comprehensively,which is starting from the epoch background of the growth of Tocqueville to his academic ground and the body-part of his democracy ponders and inducts the deep questions over democracy by the people nowadays finally.And the author would also analyzes and illustrates the great meanings about rule of law for the guidance of liberty under democracy,which could exhibit the second factor to realize democracy,the status and functions of rule of law,that gives more universal significance and reliable mechanism to democracy and the warnings of contempt about democracy.Certainly this paper just provides a way to rethink but not the specific directions because Tocqueville’s ambitions and the sharp eyes could never fly over his Pyrenees.Introduction tries to connect the historical images with the real facts for the purpose of taking the democratic regime or social condition that usually called "good in its appearance" seriously to the people living in democracy with a universal meaning in current situation.For the worries about democracy of Tocqueville 200 years ago become the facts today.No one could find the causes to cater the barbaric development of democracy itself that makes the man into an "atomic" individual living in the modern society of advanced developed material productions.The most obvious figure of this sort of "atomic" person is that he would smash his life in the hurry of warfare and fame hunting and could never understand the most precious value to modern man;the "liberty" has gone far away until his death.Therefore the people should always remember that the concerning with democracy by Tocqueville is not cherished by the times and the matter of democracy should be treated seriously at any time for the public.Chapter 1 is to review the epoch background of Tocqueville while classify the resources of his mind.Without the sharing of his times,we would be also apart from the actual Tocqueville.The great moment in his times is the French Revolution,And it is the revolution triggers his interests to survey and ponder on democracy,which shaped the mind of historical concerns never be surpassed so far.At first,we should approach the historical atmosphere in that particular times then closely watch and interpret Tocqueville,which could be an access to his thoughts.After the understanding of his times,we have to find out those masterpieces that make the great effects on Tocqueville’s mind.Those ideologists before or after Tocqueville provides the outset to made him walk together or alone,even in the separated way to the broad view of democracy.So the grasps about the relevant thinkers become the radical method to Tocqueville’s insider mind too.Surely,the reason why Tocqueville selected the U.S. but not the U.K is another important argument in this part.Chapter 2 is to discuss the irresistible tendency regarding the paths and the development of democracy.At the beginning of democracy in ancient Greek to the current from,the faces of democracy had been changed a lot and the democracy in ancient Greek is still questionable in academia.On the view of Tocqueville,the democracy in ancient Greek is a contradict speech because that is a huge irony to democracy itself when a polis or state only gives the democratic privileges to a very few persons.Only may we understand the process and directions of the development in democracy,the many questions concerning democracy could be answered and the view of Tocqueville’s democracy could be outlined as a whole.Chapter 3 is to analyze the trend to autocracy under the modern democracy.The origin target of democracy is the converse rule to autocracy but democracy does not have the immunization to autocracy naturally.Oppositely,autocracy is one of the possibilities that democracy would be generated.This kind of autocracy has the fraudulent faces in front the public and let them living under the autocracy in fact and "enjoys" it willingly.The people living in this regime could be anxious,weak and envious with the symptoms of egoism, rationalism and materialism.The descriptions and warnings to this autocracy are the major concerning and task in Tocqueville’s life.Chapter 4 is to demonstrate the dialectical relationship between democracy and liberty. This sort of relation is also the focus of Tocqueville’s views.Although he never takes liberty against equality on purpose,Tocqueville likes to take the equal liberty against the equal autocracy.The equal liberty means that the citizens are engaged into the public affairs actively and associated with a great dual of associations.Meanwhile the equal autocracy means that the indifferent atomic individual is located separately under the sovereign political authority without the spirits of independence and solidification.Thence only liberty and equality join hand together that could have chance to get rid of the crisis of the combination of tyranny and equality in Tocqueville’s viewpoints.Chapter 5 tries to give an analysis on the democratic arts to liberty.As the two fates of democracy,i.e.liberty and autocracy,the guarantee of liberal democracy becomes a serious and unavoidable issue.Through the face-to-face survey and analysis of democracy in America, Tocqueville makes a summary of the ways to realize the liberal democracy.And this part would give the following perspective such as civic morality,political education and civic religion to discuss. Chapter 6 is to illustrate the radical meanings of rule of law for the guarantee of liberal democracy.In the three-factor about the democracy in America by Tocqueville,the environmental factor belongs to the "divine thing" which means God’s will never be disputed; rule of law and the customs could be inducted into the "human things" which would be effected and changed by human.Among them,the legal system is shaped and established as a series of detail regulations and rules in human’s practices gradually while the customs are usually shorted of specific introductions and only regarded as a huge spirited system which seems to be a holy but useless thing like the word of "time" in the speech of Augustine without any specifications.Therefore,on the careful survey of customs under Tocqueville,we may realize the emphasis on this aspect and put forward the following address:the customs in Tocqueville’s text could be briefly summarized as the life-style of the concept of laws or the living laws in the real life.And this point is not only based on the argument by Tocqueville but also embodied in the process of establishment of U.S.For example,whatever the signature of Mayflower Compact or the legislation of the Constitution of U.S.,all of these events show that the honors and yearns of Americans to the legal system,particular the spirit of laws.On the side of Tocqueville’s,the real benefit of American society achieved from democracy and the democratic governments is a completely wholesome legal system,the checks and balances between the powers and the public spirit generated by democracy of Americans.Conclusion ties to diagnose the "modern illness" in democratic society and bring out the prescriptions for precaution.Taking the far developed democracy in American society as the sample,the author is intended to warn the people living in the modern society to prevent the autocracy under the current democratic regime which is not the fiction and the unbelievable story.When we taut those numb and rigid atomic persons without independence spirit fiercely, maybe we are also the members among them.Hence the concerns about democracy are indeed the concerns about the fates ourselves.Although the tendency of democracy is vast and mighty,the possibilities to the other directions are still existed.On the contrary,more warns and critiques over democracy could put the prudential reins to the passionate democracy and make it to be the real blessing for the people living in the modern society.

The Destiny of Democracy: Autocracy or Freedom

Abstract

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