De Tocqueville was an idiot. All the quotes i've seen of his seem to show someone who just doesn't understand socialism. It threatened his way of life so he chose to condemn it and those who believe in it not on ideological grounds, or by illuminating any dialectic inconsistencies but by flinging infantile insults. This quote for example shows the extent of his shalow understanding. He tries to critisice socialism by comparing it to democracy which is a contradition because theoreticaly socialism is itself an extream form of democracy. What he is actualy doing is comparing his stunted understanding of socialism with westurn liberal capitalist, elitist democracy. But putting that in the quote wouldn't sound as good would it?