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Tocqueville's An Enemy Of The People

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In his 19th century text, Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville carefully dissected the practice of democracy to better understand what can be expected from such a society. He discussed several troubling aspects of democracy that he feared could result in a state of tyranny, including the power of the majority, the freedom of the press, and the trend toward individualism. Later that same century, Henrik Ibsen’s play, An Enemy of the People, echoed many of Tocqueville’s fears by depicting a society controlled by an arguably mislead majority. While Ibsen’s play does corroborate Tocqueville’s concerns regarding the power of the majority and the press, An Enemy of the People instead frames individualism as a saving grace for the voices of …show more content…

While he confessed his lack of “complete and instantaneous love for the freedom of the press,” he did acknowledge that it was necessary for the “evils is presents much more than for the good it does” (Democracy in America, 172). He described that, if the sovereignty of the people was going to successfully operate, censorship would be “not only a danger, but also a great absurdity” (Democracy in America,173). Despite articulating that a free press is a necessary aspect of society, Tocqueville pointed out that “freedom of the press [made] its power felt...over all opinions of men” and played an active role in modifying the laws and mores of a state. (Democracy in America, 172). While this does not make the press inherently dangerous, he also noted that “when a large number of organ of the press come to advance along the same track, their influence becomes almost irresistible in the long term” (Democracy in America, 178). Under this theory, when the majority of the agents of the press agree and push the same narrative, “public opinion, struck always from the same side, ends by yielding under their blows” (Democracy in America, 178). Given the immense, undeniable influence that the press has over public opinion, Tocqueville conclusively argued that the collective power of the press is second in power only to the

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