in thread "Democracy in America or Modernity in Democracy?": I, to my eternal shame, never read through all of Tocqueville's Democracy in America. I'd be interested to see what those specific arguments are for the counter-democratic institutions in 19th-century America and how their lack has affected 21st-century Am... 1w ago (collapse hidden) retry 5 5 I, to my eternal sha (view hidden) retry 5 5 The elimination of the upper class as a self-conscious, self-contained entity is definitely part of it, both in Europe and in certain parts of America. You did have the transition from an aristocracy based on the ownership of productive land towards a more... 1w ago (collapse hidden) retry 8 8 The elimination of t (view hidden) retry 8 8