Disadvantages Of Democracy In America

Democracy in America is one of the most important books on American political life. During his nine-month stay in the United States in 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville was able to capture the essence of freedom and equality in American life. In doing so he saw that democracy was taking over the world and saw the true meaning of democracy in America with its ‘equality of conditions’. He often repeats that the advancement of democracy and equality is inevitable and that nothing can be done to stop it. While this unstoppable force of equality has helped American society, its presence also presents many dangers.
As politics are extended from aristocrats to the majority, the end is brought to differences in status, noble ranks, and titles, and hereditary privileges. In simple terms, where there is democracy, there is equality. In America, people are becoming more equal in wealth, education, and culture. This advance is partially brought on by modernization,

All citizens want equality, but if everyone is equal, no single person has the right to claim authority. As such, the only way to rule society is to listen to the majority. This is where the real danger is, it is easy to fall subject to the tyranny of the majority which can easily lead to despotism. The tyranny of the majority is when the majority places its own interests above those in the minority. Additionally, “as conditions are equalized in a people, individuals appear smaller and society seems greater”, this notion gives off the appearance that social power is greater than individual power, thus, people are more willing to give up individual thoughts in favor of the majority (Tocqueville, V2, P4, CH2, pg.641). People assume the majority has the best opinion since everyone is equal, likewise, no one wants to be seen going against the majority as that is inferred as an indirect claim of superiority, which is contradictory to