从贵族的自由到民主的自由－论托克维尔的自由主义思想

托克维尔出身于贵族家庭，但是他却理性地认为贵族制必然衰落，民主社会必然到来，民主是现代社会的重要特征。于是，托克维尔分析了贵族式自由的特征、价值、弊端以及民主的本质。他相信在一个民主的时代，自由不可能建立在贵族政治体制的基础之上；与此同时，他特别感兴趣的是如何避免民主专制主义，以及如何避免以民主的名义破坏自由。因此，托克维尔期望即将到来的社会不仅是一个民主的社会，而且是一个自由的社会；在这个社会中，民主和自由的结合会得以实现。

From Aristocratic Liberty to Democratic Liberty --On Tocqueville''''s Liberalism

Tocqueville, although born of a noble family, rationally considered that an aristocratic society would decline and a democratic society would be coming, and that democracy was an important character of modern society. Accordingly, he made an analysis of characteristics, values and shortcomings of aristocratic liberty and the nature of democracy. He believed that in a democratic era it was impossible for liberty to be built on the basis of aristocracy, and meanwhile he was especially interested in how to avoid democratic despotism and how to avoid destroying liberty in the name of democracy. Hence, Tocqueville expected that the coming society was not only democratic but also liberal.In such a society the union of liberty and democracy would be achieved.