ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

This paper attempted to restructure and contextualize his writing to find the meaning of the core concepts of Tocqueville’s theory of democracy. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, Tocqueville presented equality of social status and regional autonomy as the core of democracy in addition to the democratic concept as national sovereignty theory. Second, as a result of analyzing the concept of freedom and equality, the core of Tocqueville’s concept of freedom was to emphasize freedom of private sector as well as its participation in the public domain, and also focusing on political freedom. In that he recognized economic freedom under the control of equality in social conditions and moral freedom, this study divided Tocqueville into a democratic theorist who emphasized freedom and equality as complementary factors. The implications of this study are clear. Citizens should try harder to prevent this transition to despotism even if it would soft and luscious. This is why democratic civic culture and participation in public affairs at all levels from local to national are needed.