Benard: Democracy in Europe Lethargic, Uninspiring

In 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville published the first volume of his magnum opus, Democracy in America. The book was designed to give Europeans a feeling for American politics and society, a topic of interest to Europeans in part because of their general fascination with the United States, a new and perplexing country an ocean away. But more significantly, Europeans were curious to learn about the U.S. political system and its societal implications, because many Europeans were thinking about a transition from monarchy to democratic governance. The United States could show them what they would be getting themselves into.