Alexis De Tocqueville's The Old Regime
Like all academic fields, there is much room for debate in the discipline of history. This is attributed to the analysis and interpretation that is involved when drawing conclusions, and both of which are affected by an individual’s subjectivity. However, Prior to a certain point, there was little room for interpretation or disagreement in history, as it was simply considered a retelling of facts. However, there eventually came the realisation that ‘facts’ are always recounted from a perspective, and that humans are more complex than simply a sequence of events. Thus, the writing of history evolved, and the whole understanding of how history related to modern times was altered, resulting in the works like Alexis de Tocqueville’s The Old Regime
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The overall tone of the document is one of despair, rage, and caution, as Tocqueville notices the decline of liberalism, attributes it to increased centralised power, and actively warns his readers what the future might hold if society continued in the way he perceived it would. Palmer notes that Tocqueville became impatient with what was considered the history of his time, as he believed people to be only repeating events, not connecting them to current times and relating to them, whilst also expressing his desire to produce something new, an act that could not be done by simply recounting the past. Because of Tocqueville’s desire to analyse history further than stating events, his work is almost invaluable to historians today, as it is one of the earlier pieces of historiography which holds the author's subjectivity inside it, which in itself is an element of history that can be analysed further. Not only does Tocqueville describe the effects of the French Revolution on French society, he does so from a French perspective, and with emotions and opinions. Tocqueville’s predictions are also an element of his work that adds to its value, as it describes what he wishes society to be like, as seen in the last few paragraphs of the document, and what he believes to be its
The overall tone of the document is one of despair, rage, and caution, as Tocqueville notices the decline of liberalism, attributes it to increased centralised power, and actively warns his readers what the future might hold if society continued in the way he perceived it would. Palmer notes that Tocqueville became impatient with what was considered the history of his time, as he believed people to be only repeating events, not connecting them to current times and relating to them, whilst also expressing his desire to produce something new, an act that could not be done by simply recounting the past. Because of Tocqueville’s desire to analyse history further than stating events, his work is almost invaluable to historians today, as it is one of the earlier pieces of historiography which holds the author's subjectivity inside it, which in itself is an element of history that can be analysed further. Not only does Tocqueville describe the effects of the French Revolution on French society, he does so from a French perspective, and with emotions and opinions. Tocqueville’s predictions are also an element of his work that adds to its value, as it describes what he wishes society to be like, as seen in the last few paragraphs of the document, and what he believes to be its