Tocqueville and the Two Tendencies of Equality.

This article reevaluates Alexis de Tocqueville’s perspective on democracy, particularly challenging the common interpretation of his work *Democracy in America* as fundamentally pessimistic about democratic futures. It argues that Tocqueville’s second volume, written later and more philosophically, distinguishes equality as both a “fact” and a “passion,” generating two opposing tendencies: one toward liberty and independence, the other toward servitude and conformity. Contrary to the traditional reading that Tocqueville foresees inevitable democratic decline, the article highlights his belief that the passion for equality, while powerful, also contains the conceptual resources for liberty and renewal within liberal societies. Tocqueville’s main concern is not the abuse of freedom but the democratic inability to fully imagine and exercise it, suggesting a hopeful vision where individuals can harness their equal status to achieve political independence and resist despotism.