Where does the term tyranny of the majority come from?
While James Madison referred to the same idea as "the violence of majority faction" in The Federalist Papers, for example in Federalist 10, the phrase "tyranny of the majority" was used by John Adams in 1788. It was also used by Edmund Burke in a 1790 letter, in which he wrote that "The tyranny of a multitude is a multiplied tyranny.".
Who said the tyranny of a multitude is a multiplied tyranny?
Later users include Edmund Burke, who wrote in a 1790 letter that "The tyranny of a multitude is a multiplied tyranny." It was further popularised by John Stuart Mill, influenced by Tocqueville, in On Liberty (1859). Friedrich Nietzsche used the phrase in the first sequel to Human, All Too Human (1879).
Did John Adams say tyranny of the majority?
While the specific phrase "tyranny of the majority" is frequently attributed to various Founding Fathers, only John Adams is known to have used it, arguing against government by a single unicameral elected body.
How can tyranny of the majority be prevented?
Tyranny of the majority. A separation of powers (for example a legislative and executive majority actions subject to review by the judiciary) may also be implemented to prevent the problem from happening internally in a government.
Where did the phrase tyranny of the majority come from?
The phrase “tyranny of the majority,” first coined by French historian and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859) in his seminal two-volume study Democracy in America (1835–1840) and memorialized by John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) in his classic 1859 treatise On Liberty, represented to this generation the ...
What did he mean by a tyranny of the majority?
Definition of tyranny of the majority : a situation in which a group of people are treated unfairly because their situation is different from the situation of most of the people in a democratic country.
What is Alexis de Tocqueville most famous for?
Alexis de Tocqueville is best known for Democracy in America, which he wrote after spending 10 months of 1831 and 1832 in the United States on a mission from France to study American prisons (then considered progressive).
What did Alexis de Tocqueville think of the United States?
As “Democracy in America” revealed, Tocqueville believed that equality was the great political and social idea of his era, and he thought that the United States offered the most advanced example of equality in action.
Who coined the term "tyranny of the majority"?
French historian and political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) first coined the term ‘tyranny of the majority’ in his seminal Democracy in America (1835-1840). English philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) highlighted the concept in his classic 1859 treatise On Liberty. This generation deeply distrusted rule by an uneducated ...
What is the tyranny of the majority?
The ‘tyranny of the majority’ occurs when the will of a majority population group exclusively prevails in a system of democratic government, resulting in potential oppression of minority groups.
What did Tocqueville believe about the majority?
He believed that some elements of society, such as “townships, municipal bodies, and counties” were outside its reach, and placed particular emphasis on the lawyer class to offer a bulwark to majority opinion through their rigorous legal training and notion of right.
What did critics of Madison argue about?
Critics of Madison would argue that minorities which do not form a local majority anywhere are left without protection. For instance, the Madisonian constitution gave no effective protection to black Americans until the 1960s.
What was the main danger that worried the thinkers along with many others from classical philosopher Aristotle to American founding
The main danger that worried these thinkers, along with many others from classical philosopher Aristotle to American founding father Madison, was that the majority poor citizenry would vote for confiscatory legislation at the expense of the rich minority.
Where did the threat of an unwise and unrestrained majority exist?
The threat of an unwise and unrestrained majority has existed in the democratic imagination since the trial of Socrates in Ancient Greece, but was solidified and articulated in the age of democratic revolutions.
Who was the first president to write the Federalist Papers?
For instance, James Madison (1751-1836), one of the founding fathers and 4th president of the United States, was particularly concerned with the first, political, type of majority tyranny. Madison made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers (1788), along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.
What is the claim of the activist minority?
The claims of the activist minority often draw much of their strength from a tacit assumption that they represent a far larger body of opinion. Complaints about cultural appropriation, for example, rely on the usually unchallenged idea that one representative of a group can speak for all or most of that group.
What was the hope of the internet?
When the internet first became part of mainstream public life, one of the great hopes it seemed to hold up was that of an expansion of democracy. From now on, the great media conglomerates would no longer dominate the conversation. Instead, the public sphere would be irrigated by new voices, the voices of ordinary people.
Why are self-selected polls considered junk?
Self-selected polls, which rely on people coming forward, are widely seen as junk for precisely this reason. The people who step forward voluntarily may well have a heartfelt view to express, but they may also make up only a tiny fraction of the population.
Historical Origins of The Political Concept ‘Tyranny of The Majority’
Two Distinct Types of Majority Tyranny
- Democracies were thought vulnerable to majority tyranny in two distinct forms. Firstly, tyranny that operates through the formal procedures of government. Tocqueville drew attention to this scenario, wherein “politically speaking, the people have a right to do anything”. Alternatively, the majority might exercise moral or socialtyranny through the power of public opinion and custom. …
Political Theorists Proposed Structures to Remedy ‘The Tyranny of The Majority’
- As far as Tocqueville could see, there were no clear barriers against the absolute sovereignty of the majority, but precautions should nevertheless be pursued. He believed that some elements of society, such as “townships, municipal bodies, and counties”were outside its reach, and placed particular emphasis on the lawyer class to offer a bulwark to majority opinion through their rigor…
Influence on The Constitution of The United States
- The political philosophers writing about the ‘tyranny of the majority’ were hugely influential in their contemporary context. For instance, James Madison(1751-1836), one of the founding fathers and 4th president of the United States, was particularly concerned with the first, political, type of majority tyranny. Madison made a major contribution to...
Ongoing Influence
- Even beyond the historical context of the Age of Revolutions and nation building wherein the term ‘tyranny of the majority’ originated, itsimplications are manifold. Debate surrounding the current First Past the Post electoral system in the UK, for instance, questions whether FPTP may increase the ‘tyranny of the majority’ by rewarding the first and second largest parties disproportionately t…