Educating Democracy
Alexis de Tocqueville and Leadership in America
Published on 22. December 2009
Book
Hardback
228 pages
978-1-4384-2961-8 (ISBN)
Description
Revisionist analysis of the role of strong leadership in democracies, drawing primarily upon the work of Alexis de Tocqueville.
Do strong leaders inevitably undermine democracies? Drawing upon the insights of Alexis de Tocqueville, Brian Danoff offers a compelling, revisionist analysis of the role of leadership in democratic societies. Rather than focusing on effectiveness or character to assess the quality of leaders in democracies, Tocqueville suggests that great democratic leaders are those who educate, elevate, and empower their fellow citizens; certain types of leadership enhance rather than diminish self-rule. Danoff then enriches and expands Tocqueville's perspective through the ideas of American theorists and statesmen such as Woodrow Wilson, Abraham Lincoln, and the Antifederalists. Timely and necessary, this book sheds new light on both Tocqueville and on the role of leadership in American democracy.
Do strong leaders inevitably undermine democracies? Drawing upon the insights of Alexis de Tocqueville, Brian Danoff offers a compelling, revisionist analysis of the role of leadership in democratic societies. Rather than focusing on effectiveness or character to assess the quality of leaders in democracies, Tocqueville suggests that great democratic leaders are those who educate, elevate, and empower their fellow citizens; certain types of leadership enhance rather than diminish self-rule. Danoff then enriches and expands Tocqueville's perspective through the ideas of American theorists and statesmen such as Woodrow Wilson, Abraham Lincoln, and the Antifederalists. Timely and necessary, this book sheds new light on both Tocqueville and on the role of leadership in American democracy.
Reviews / Votes
"...this is an important and even a courageous book ... In an age when political talk often extols dead certainties, this recognition of the complexity inherent in democratic life is refreshing." - H-Net Reviews (H-Education)"An intelligent book on Tocqueville is always welcome. Danoff's book ... is thoughtful, knowledgeable, sensible and rigorous. It is also highly provocative. To his great credit ... Danoff, like Tocqueville himself, argues persuasively that a good democrat is a moderate democrat and that a good democracy requires a traditional moral foundation. That alone makes his book well worth reading." - Teachers College Record
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Albany, NY
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4384-2961-8 (9781438429618)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2010
1st Edition
De Gruyter
from
€84.99
Available for download
Person
Brian Danoff is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Miami University in Ohio.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Tocqueville on Leadership and the Education of Democracy
2. The Antifederalists and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Democratic Authority
3. Lincoln and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Self-Interest Properly Understood
4. Wilson and Tocqueville on Leadership and the"Character Foundations of American Democracy"
5. The Vocation of the Democratic Moralist: Putnam, Tocqueville, and the Education of Democracy Today
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
1. Tocqueville on Leadership and the Education of Democracy
2. The Antifederalists and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Democratic Authority
3. Lincoln and Tocqueville on Democratic Leadership and Self-Interest Properly Understood
4. Wilson and Tocqueville on Leadership and the"Character Foundations of American Democracy"
5. The Vocation of the Democratic Moralist: Putnam, Tocqueville, and the Education of Democracy Today
Notes
Bibliography
Index