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Chapter 51
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Democracy in America, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Liberty, Equality, and Tyranny
Checks and Balances
Civic and Religious Institutions
Individualism and Materialism
Politics, Customs, and Culture
Summary
Analysis
Tocqueville reiterates his claim that democratic independence, which makes people suspicious of authority, also encourages them to embrace free institutions. Tocqueville acknowledges that such love of independence may well elicit fears about anarchy and disorder. However, he argues that anarchy is to be feared far less than servitude, and he approves of independence to the extent that it prepares people to fight against servitude.
Tocqueville explicitly acknowledges the fear of anarchy most likely because this was something that many of his contemporaries, especially those who shared his social position, feared about democracies. He only raises the point, though, in order to replace that concern with another.
Themes
