Show Notes
Nearly two centuries ago, a French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville went on a trip around America and wrote up his findings in a book called Democracy in America. Many people still think it’s the most insightful thing ever written about the country. John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, is one of them.
Tocqueville found Americans' faith in freedom and self-improvement exhilariting—he was the first foreigner to foresee how this new society would change the world. On America’s 250th birthday, John Prideaux sets out on a road trip of his own, following Tocqueville's footsteps from New York to Michigan to Washington, to find out how much of what inspired Tocqueville endures in Trump’s America.
Out now
Find the show on The Economist app | On Spotify | On other apps On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/tocqueville-road-trip-from-the-economist/id1896918330
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More from Tocqueville Road Trip from The Economist
Tocqueville saw America’s faith in its own democracy as a vital force. But these days the majority of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Can a group of maximum security prisoners in Sing Sing offer a vision of how to get back on track?
John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, embarks on a roadtrip to see how America’s democracy is faring in the era of Trump.