Tillbaka till Tocqueville? Om Tocquevilles betydelse för förståelsen av de borgerliga elitemas uppgång och fall

Abstract

Back to Tocqueville? On the importance of Tocqueville for the understanding of the rise and fall of bourgeois elites. This essay represents an attempt to reawaken the interest for Tocqueville in Sweden. It is noted that while Tocqueville's famous work Democracy in America was much read and discussed— by politicians as well as by literary authors — in 19th century Sweden, there has been considerably less interest in his work during the 20th century in Sweden. In order to show the relevance of Tocqueville's analysis, I chose to present his observations and theories on elites and classes. Contrary to what is often thought, Tocqueville argued that there also would exist elites and classes in democratic society. Their existence, however - and this represents his main point - does not constitute a threat to freedom. The attempt to get rid of classes and elites at all costs can, on the other hand, lead to despotism.