The Man Who Understood Democracy - by Olivier Zunz

About the Book

"In 1831, at the age of twenty-five, Alexis de Tocqueville made his fateful journey to America, where he observed the thrilling reality of a functioning democracy. From that moment onward, the French aristocrat would dedicate his life as a writer and politician to ending despotism in his country and bringing it into a new age. In this ... biography, leading Tocqueville expert Olivier Zunz tells the story of a radical thinker who, uniquely charged by the events of his time, both in America and France, used the world as a laboratory for his political ideas"--

Book Synopsis

A definitive biography of the French aristocrat who became one of democracy's greatest champions

In 1831, at the age of twenty-five, Alexis de Tocqueville made his fateful journey to America, where he observed the thrilling reality of a functioning democracy. From that moment onward, the French aristocrat would dedicate his life as a writer and politician to ending despotism in his country and bringing it into a new age. In this authoritative and groundbreaking biography, leading Tocqueville expert Olivier Zunz tells the story of a radical thinker who, uniquely charged by the events of his time, both in America and France, used the world as a laboratory for his political ideas.

Placing Tocqueville's dedication to achieving a new kind of democracy at the center of his life and work, Zunz traces Tocqueville's evolution into a passionate student and practitioner of liberal politics across a trove of correspondence with intellectuals, politicians, constituents, family members, and friends. While taking seriously Tocqueville's attempts to apply the lessons of Democracy in America to French politics, Zunz shows that the United States, and not only France, remained central to Tocqueville's thought and actions throughout his life. In his final years, with France gripped by an authoritarian regime and America divided by slavery, Tocqueville feared that the democratic experiment might be failing. Yet his passion for democracy never weakened.

Giving equal attention to the French and American sources of Tocqueville's unique blend of political philosophy and political action, The Man Who Understood Democracy offers the richest, most nuanced portrait yet of a man who, born between the worlds of aristocracy and democracy, fought tirelessly for the only system that he believed could provide both liberty and equality.

Review Quotes

"Olivier Zunz takes us into the fascinating life of the man who sought, through both study and action, to implement a liberal and socially conscious democracy."-- "Esprit"

"Olivier Zunz's book is an excellent narrative biography about the innovations and contradictions of the fascinating life and work of Alexis de Tocqueville."-- "Folha de São Paulo"

"One likes to say of some biographies, perhaps a bit naively, that they are definitive. In the case of Olivier Zunz's Tocqueville, one would not be far from the truth."-- "L'Histoire"

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

"Winner of the Prix littéraire de biographie historique Brantôme"

"Winner of the Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique"

"A fascinating story. . . . Zunz's account of Beaumont and Tocqueville's journey and the subsequent writing of Democracy in America is riveting."---Lynn Hunt, New York Review of Books

"A major new biography . . . [Zunz] is ideally matched to his subject. . . . [Tocqueville] could not have a more deeply knowledgeable biographer."---Brooke Allen, Hudson Review

"A richly detailed intellectual biography. . . . Wide-ranging and meticulously argued."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"A wide-ranging study of the life and thought of the French aristocrat. . . . [An] astute biography."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"An exhaustively researched and discretely focused biography."---Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal

"An informative biography. . . . Zunz explains what Tocqueville learned--and what he failed to notice--during his travels throughout the United States. . . . Zunz also provides a splendid account of Tocqueville's career as a practical politician in France."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"This biography gives us, often with just a few telling strokes, the ambitious but depressive young aristocrat . . . the Romantic literary self-creator . . . and the liberal politician.""---Jedediah Britton-Purdy, New Republic

"Zunz, the foremost living Tocqueville expert, sensitively and masterfully examines the Frenchman's life in full. . . . Engaging and informative."---Michael M. Rosen, Commentary

"The Man Who Understood Democracy must now stand as the authoritative biography of Alexis de Tocqueville, far surpassing the achievements of earlier biographers such as Hugh Brogan. From start to finish, it is elegantly written, judicious, erudite, and a hugely insightful and informative read."---Jeremy Jennings, Tocqueville21

"[A] superbly written biography. . . . Accessible and erudite."---Stephen W. Sawyer, Times Literary Supplement

"An outstanding new biography of Alexis de Tocqueville that is sure to be the standard for years to come."-- "Choice"

"As a narrative biography, Olivier Zunz's The Man Who Understood Democracy succeeds tremendously. The details of Tocqueville's life--and the events he lived through--are rendered with engaging clarity."---Paul Sagar, The Critic

"Zunz has written what must surely be the definitive account of the public life of Alexis de Tocqueville."---Alan Ryan, Literary Review

"A masterpiece."---Peter McPhee, Australian Book Review

"A self-recommending biography of one of the greatest social science thinkers. Easy to read, and good for both the generalist and specialist reader."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

"Magisterial. . . . [A] virtuosic account of Tocqueville's life and work."---Tarek Masoud, Journal of Democracy

"Olivier Zunz's The Man Who Understood Democracy is an excellent biography of this major figure of political philosophy. It is well-written and judicious in its use of detail."---Theodore Dalrymple, Law & Liberty

"Tocqueville has a lot to offer us. The publication of this biography is as much an occasion to engage with his ideas as it is to be inspired by his longing for truth and his commitment to creating conditions conducive to human flourishing."---Suyash Rai, Carnegie India

About the Author

Olivier Zunz is the James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia. He is the author, most recently, of Philanthropy in America: A History (Princeton). He is the editor of the Library of America edition of Democracy in America, Tocqueville's Recollections, Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont in America, and The Tocqueville Reader. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.