Democracy in America

 Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

The French had a somewhat different experience with bringing on democracy than the Americans did. de Tocqueville took a look at the American experience through French eyes. He generally liked what he saw, though he did notice some flaws. The big difference he saw with American democracy was the equality. There was no aristocracy, thus everyone had potential. This helped democracy to work. It also meant a welfare state would be less of a benefit. Instead of desiring to get a job with the government, people desired to go work for themselves. People would "go west" to make their way. Politics was something that people did to help their individual causes, not to lord over others. Alas, the modern democracy in America has now adopted many of the negative traits seen in Europe. Moneyed "lords" have appeared. The government has become larger and provided more for people, leaving less self-interest. People are regularly advocating for taking some small amounts from the wealthy few. There is also more centralized national power. Can democracy in this form prosper?