In Democracy in America (1835) the Frenchman Alexis de
Tocqueville interpreted American society through the lens of
democratic political theory. A half-century later the Scotsman James
Bryce examined "the institutions and the people of America as
they are." Bryce presented his findings in
The American Commonwealth, first published in London in
three volumes in 1888. This new Liberty Fund two-volume edition is
based on the updated third edition of 1941, which encompassed all
the changes, corrections, and additions that Bryce entered into the
previous editions. Its expanded appendix includes Bryce's 1887
essay, "The Predictions of Hamilton and De Tocqueville,"
and contemporaneous (1889) reviews of
The American Commonwealth by Woodrow Wilson and Lord
Acton.
The great merit of Bryce's work is that it is based on
close observation of the actual operation of American political
institutions, including political parties and municipal and state
governments. Consequently, Bryce provides what Professor Gary
McDowell describes as "a grand atlas of American politics and
society." Indeed, Bryce was able to discern enduring
characteristics of American society and politics. Therefore, as
Robert Nisbet has written, "we still go to Bryce for piquant
and cogent answers to the questions of why great men are not chosen
presidents and why the best men do not go into politics in
America."
James Bryce (1838-1922) was a British jurist, historian, and
statesman. From 1907 to 1913 he was England's ambassador to the
United States.
Gary L. McDowell is the Tyler Haynes Interdisciplinary
Professor of Leadership Studies, Political Science, and Law at the
University of Richmond in Virginia. From 1992 to 2003 he was the
Director of the Institute of United States Studies in the University
of London.
