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mores properly so-called, and 4) on political society. The reason why the presentation differs
is because the focus of the subject matter has changed. Tocqueville moves from the political
world in volume one to civil society in volume two. More and shorter chapters are necessary
in such an inquiry because civil society is not as easily organized or categorized as the
political world. The division of the work between political and civil society highlights the
twofold nature of the work; on the one hand the sovereign power of the people directs the
democracy, on the other hand the democracy influences nearly every aspect of civil society.
The relationship between the two volumes suggests another form of motion characterized by
its reciprocity.
We are now in a better position to see the general outline of motion within the book as
a whole as well as to appreciate the notion of generative principles and the growth and
development of a democratic society with respect to the political and civil institutions. One of
the aims of this discussion of motion is to gain insights into what is required of a people to
sustain a democracy where the people live in liberty and flourish. I now turn to the movement
of the whole people, followed by examples of the movement of individuals within a
democratic society.
There are different factors that move society as a whole. For example, there is the
overarching motion of a society going through a transition or a revolution. Tocqueville
documents this motion in the introduction to this work on democracy in America with a
recitation of 700 years of French history and continues with a vivid description of the current
state of affairs in France. He sees a country where the equality of conditions is becoming
more prevalent and where a democratic revolution has occurred “in the material of society”
(DA Introduction:7). He recognizes that no effort has been made to acquire the benefits of the
new order and thus turns to the example that America provides.
Estate laws provide another example of how a whole society can be moved: “The
legislator regulates the estates of citizens once and he rests for centuries: motion having been
Convention