Abstract

The Author suggests a reading of Alexis de Tocqueville's conception of religion which moves from the assumption that democracy is not a way out from it, rather a new and specific form of religion in itself. From this perspective, the metamorphosis of the reli-gious in Tocqueville's thought allows to point out the three objectives of "Démocratie en Amerique": to speak about America, to expose critically and comparatively the case of France under the July Monarchy, and to identify the ideal type of this modern democra¬cy which favours freedom and despotism at one and the same time.