Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859) was a French aristocrat, diplomat, political philosopher, and historian. He is best known for his influential works Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution, which analyzed social conditions and the relationship between individuals, the market, and the state. A participant in French politics during the July Monarchy and the Second Republic, his writings on the United States are regarded as foundational texts in sociology and political science.