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    • The Tocqueville Conversations
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • Tocqueville legacy
  • PROGRAMS
    • The Tocqueville Conversations
    • The Prince’s Roundtable and The Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy
    • The Tocqueville Challenge
    • The Tocqueville Prize
    • Les Entretiens de New York
  • NEWS
  • Support Us
  • Contact Us
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • Tocqueville legacy
  • PROGRAMS
    • The Tocqueville Conversations
    • The Prince’s Roundtable and The Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy
    • The Tocqueville Challenge
    • The Tocqueville Prize
    • Les Entretiens de New York
  • NEWS
  • Support Us
  • Contact Us
Support Us
Contact Us
  • home
  • ABOUT US
  • Tocqueville legacy
  • PROGRAMMES

    The Tocqueville Conversations

    The Tocqueville Foundation, Le Figaro and The Atlantic Council are co-organizing the "Tocqueville Conversations", bringing together politicians, intellectuals and civil society actors from both sides of the Atlantic.
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    event

    The Prince's Roundtable on Philanthropy and Prince's Prize

    The Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy is a global initiative jointly developed by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Tocqueville Foundation.
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    The Tocqueville Challenge

    The Tocqueville Challenge reflects the mission of the Tocqueville Foundation to foster community engagement while strengthening youth service, building capacity in citizen society organizations and promoting social innovation.
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    The Tocqueville Prize

    This international prize for political literature is awarded every two years at Château de Tocqueville to a person whose work is in line with the vision and values defended by Alexis de Tocqueville. It was created in 1979 by Alain Peyrefitte.
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    Les Entretiens de New York

    Organized with the crucial support of Les Entretiens de Royaumont and under the high-patronage of the French General Consul, Les Entretiens de New York aim at creating the conditions for a collective reflection and dialog on both sides of the Atlantic on topical issues.
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    • The Tocqueville Conversations
    • The Prince’s Roundtable and The Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy
    • The Tocqueville Challenge
    • The Tocqueville Prize
    • Les Entretiens de New York
  • News
Support Us
Contact Us

DISCOVER

Alexis de Tocqueville,  one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville embarked on a journey to the United States, officially to study the American prison system. What he discovered went far beyond: his observations became the foundation of one of the most influential works ever written on modern political society—Democracy in America.

Through this landmark book, Tocqueville masterfully analyzed the conditions, realities, and risks inherent to democratic systems, not only in America but also in Europe. He was among the first to examine both the strengths and vulnerabilities of democracy, warning his contemporaries about the threats facing our modern democracies..

The ideas of this great thinker, now renowned worldwide, continue to warn us against the ailments of our societies: the allure of authoritarian regimes, growing individualism, the tyranny of the majority, the difficulties Europeans face in reforming themselves, and—for the French—a deep-rooted preference for centralization.

Crucially, he emphasized the indispensable role of civil society and citizen engagement in addressing collective problems and preserving liberty.

Nearly two centuries later, his insights remain profoundly relevant, offering timeless guidance for navigating the social, political, and civic challenges of today.

Further reading

  We had the pleasure of organising two lectures on the thought of Alexis de Tocqueville to prepare the students who will be at the Château for the event. You will find below: 

The first was hosted by Joshua Mitchell, a political theorist at Georgetown. You can find the video of his lecture here, and the accompanying readings here. 

For the second, we had the pleasure of having Jean Yarbrough, professor of social sciences at Bowdoin. The video of her talk is here, and the readings can be downloaded here. 

We also recommend the lecture given at the Cercle Condorcet of Deauville by Mr. Jean-Louis Benoit, a Tocqueville specialist, on the theme “The Relevance of Tocqueville Today – Democracy and Democrature.” The text of this lecture can be downloaded here.

We also invite you to read Mr. Jean-Louis Benoit’s presentation on the topic “The Social Democratic State, Democracy, Despotism, and Dictatorship,” delivered during a commemorative symposium marking the 30th anniversary of the Postgraduate Philosophy Program at the Federal University of Goiás. The text is available for download here.

 

 

It is an international grant-making prize awarding and operating foundation, registered in France under.

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