Alexis de Tocqueville tried to make an American-style constitution work in France. The character of its first president killed it.
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Detail of portrait of Alexis de Tocqueville by Théodore Chassériau, 1901
Library of Congress
In parts one and two of this essay on Alexis de Tocqueville’s Recollections, I looked at the fall of the July Monarchy of King Louis-Phillippe and the failure of the socialist revolutionaries to capitalize on that fall. Today’s installment examines Tocqueville’s account of the effort to write a new French constitution and make the Second Republic work.
The Philosopher-Lawyer in the Arena
About the Author
Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.
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In parts one and two of this essay on Alexis de Tocqueville’s Recollections, I looked at the fall of the July Monarchy of King Louis-Phillippe and the failure of the socialist revolutionaries to capitalize on that fall. Today’s installment examines Tocqueville’s account of the effort to write a new French constitution and make the Second Republic work.
The Philosopher-Lawyer in the Arena
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About the Author
Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.
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