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the “taste” for freedom, or the habit of governing themselves. To put
it simply, there is a counterbalance to the Democratic tendency of
centralization. At the head of this, Tocqueville observes, is the system
of decentralization that the Americans manage to maintain. The US
political system is designed to such an effect that the governmental
power is properly centralized in the upper strata of governmental
agency – first of all the federal government – while the administrative
details are left to local governments – or more precisely, to the citizens
themselves. Simple as it may seem from outside, it is actually a delicate
and fragile thing, especially when comparing it to the political situation
of the European countries. In Democracy in America Tocqueville refers
to the French state in order to indicate how difficult it is to maintain a
system of decentralization in the face of Democracy, and how fortunate
and brilliant the Americans are in achieving this.
While decentralization basically means share of power, it cannot
stand by itself without significant citizen participation. Tocqueville
understands democratic rule very well. He discerns that a rule by many
people – despite the various types it takes – may not be as efficient
and persistent as the rule by one or a small group of people. But the
significance of participation does not lie there. The mere fact of their
having a say in affairs that concern them leads to a boost in people’s
spirit in looking after the common good. More importantly, participation
is to make people realize that their own freedom and prosperity
are actually bound with other people’s. Tocqueville states: “it is not
the elected magistrate who makes American democracy prosper; but
it prospers because the magistrate is elective.” (2000, 488) This is why
Tocqueville is so fond of the American township which, Tocqueville
says, functions like a school for democracy. And the federal system
of America is so designed that it guarantees people a significant and
reasonable share in all public affairs. In the end, the share of power
is a share among citizens. A free state is a state in which citizens can
freely participate in overseeing their own affairs.
In this respect, Tocqueville is close to Rousseau’s idea of freedom.
Both of them agree that freedom is only possible in a political community.
Both define freedom as opposed to the state of slavery. And
for both of them, citizen participation is crucial in maintaining a free
state. But Tocqueville is decisively different from Rousseau in that he
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ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE’S
NOTION OF POLITICAL
FREEDOM
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