The Old Regime and the Revolution

The Old Regime and the Revolution is Alexis de Tocqueville’s great meditation on the origins and meanings of the French Revolution. One of the most profound and influential studies of this pivotal event, it remains a relevant and stimulating discussion of the problem of preserving individual and political freedom in the modern world. This translation provides a faithful, readable rendering of Tocqueville’s last masterpiece, and includes notes and variants which reveal Tocqueville’s sources and include excerpts from his drafts and revisions.