The Spectre of Democracy

This study examines the arguments that the democratic movement has had to overcome. A history of franchise extension in the USA, France, Germany and the United Kingdom provides the context for examining the attitudes to democracy of John Adams, de Tocqueville, Hegel and Carlyle. Separate chapters investigate the ideology of black subordination in the USA and opposition to the female vote. The conclusion includes an assessment of the extent to which pre-democratic thought still influences Western political practice.