![]() In addition, the people superficially adopt an opinion and cling to it not because they are convinced it is true but because they do not think they can discover what is true, and consider most opinions to be generally equal. Toqueville notices that people are concerned primarily about their material interests. Two other democratic tendencies are also brought out in this brief chapter: materialism and relativism. The decentralization of the American press, however, makes this unifying and all-encompassing influence unlikely. It can, however, foster the tyranny of the majority by influencing vast numbers of people at once. It maintains liberty by keeping the people informed of politics and thereby encouraging political activity and the exercise of freedom. The press can clearly be a means both of keeping liberty alive and of fostering the tyranny of the majority. So many opinions are floating about that people tend to distrust all of them, and end up focusing mostly on tangible, material interests. People in America tend to stubbornly stick to their own opinions, simply because they chose them. Still, the power of the press is immense simply because it allows all people to remain informed about politics. Recognizing the lack of journalistic competence, the people generally do not take the journalists' opinions seriously, but simply focus on the facts. It prevents people from being unified by a single current of opinion, but it also tends to result in poor journalism because there is an excessive number of papers and not enough talented journalists. Decentralization has particularly strong effects. The force of the press is also lessened because freedom of the press is not a novelty in the United States, it is decentralized, and the people tend not to react passionately to anything that does not affect their material interests. The press has less power in the United States than it does in France, because attacking existing laws in the United States is not revolutionary in fact it is perfectly acceptable. Especially in a society where the people are sovereign, censorship would be inherently contradictory to the overriding societal principles. Chapter 3: Freedom of the Press in the United Statesįreedom of the press is necessary because the only real alternative to it is complete despotism. The Federalist party's ability to gain power was crucial precisely because the Federalists wanted to restrict public power, and as a result they began a tradition which acted as a moderating influence on the demands of the majority. The key point in this chapter once again revolves around the dangerous democratic tendency to fall into tyranny of the majority. They act as if they support republican government, but in reality they "have a great distaste for their country's democratic institutions." Analysis As a result, they close in on themselves and go about pursuing their own private interests. The rich are somewhat excluded from government, and their can often even be a disadvantage in trying to gain political power. Remains of the Aristocratic Party in the United States Still, beneath the petty differences of the parties there is the underlying battle between restricting and extending public power. As a result, there are no longer any great political parties in the United States. ![]() ![]() The Federalists had power only until Jefferson was elected, but this period was extremely important for America because during that time they worked against the negative tendencies of democracy, and when the Republicans gained power they adopted many of the Federalist's ideas. After the Revolution, there were two great parties, one of whichthe Federalistswanted to restrict popular power and the other of whichthe Republicanswanted to extend it. America used to have great parties, but it no longer does. Small parties are pettier and only agitate and corrupt society. "Parties are an evil inherent in free government." Great parties are those which are attached to lofty principles rather than private interest, and their action can often cause a revolution. "The majority rules in the name of the people." Chapter 2: Parties in the United States The people both make and execute the laws in the United States, by electing their representatives and serving on juries. Buy Study Guide Chapter 1: Why It Can Strictly Be Said That the People Govern in the United States
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