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Tocqueville Dbq

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Q. 1. Answer Tocqueville illustrates the harsh fact of an aristocratic society that if a man has been born rich, he is credited to wealth and inherits to remain rich. This striving force led by a man continues till he dies. Furthermore, if a man is born a peasant, it becomes his destiny to die as a peasant, consequently inheriting the same virtue to his children (Tocqueville, p. 54). All in all, both of these classes intersect to pursue their private interests in their walk of life. They both act upon to depict their ideas to support democratic government. Status, pride, honor, national glory, excellence, and passivity are all important values in an aristocratic society (Tocqueville, p. 13). Americans are not inherited with a status that will determine their future, instead they are all born equally and are able to rise or decrease in power due to self-interest. Equal responsibilities, respect, status, and opportunity are all important values in an Egalitarian society. However equality is a mere illusion, equality in America is valued and does not reflect reality (Tocqueville, p. 504-505). Tocqueville witnessed that even though Americans are born with the same status, certain groups still struggled with inequality. Different races and genders created a separation, thus …show more content…

When the poor were in the labour force, which was regulated by government entities, the poor tended to exist as servants. Instead of being arbitrators for their own salaries, governmental entities intervened. Wages were fixed by the government, which in turn aided the process of the market growth. Durkheim believed that this combination of events was a leading factor in the rise of people committing suicide, since the workers’ situations appeared hopeless and without escape (Durkheim, Durkheim on Suicide and Society p.

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