Alexis de Tocqueville

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Alexis de Tocqueville

French historian and political writer

Also known as: Alexis Charles-Henri-Maurice Clérel de Tocqueville

Written by Seymour Drescher

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Alexis de Tocqueville

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Category: History & Society

Born:: July 29, 1805, Paris, France

Died:: April 16, 1859, Cannes (aged 53)

Title / Office:: Chamber of Deputies (1839-1848), France

Notable Works:: “Democracy in America”; “The Old Regime and the Revolution”

Subjects Of Study:: French Revolution; United States; democracy

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Alexis de Tocqueville (born July 29, 1805, Paris, France—died April 16, 1859, Cannes) political scientist, historian, and politician, best known for Democracy in America, 4 vol. (1835–40), a perceptive analysis of the political and social system of the United States in the early 19th century. Tocqueville was a great-grandson of the statesman Chrétien de Malesherbes (1721–94), a liberal aristocratic victim of the French Revolution and a political model for the young Tocqueville. Almost diminutive in stature, acutely sensitive, and plagued by severe bouts of anxiety since childhood, he remained close to his parents throughout his life. Despite a frail voice ...(100 of 2215 words)

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