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This paper analyzes Alexis de Tocqueville's perspective on populism in two different places and moments in time: his trip to America at the beginning of the 1830s—which coincided with Andrew Jackson's presidency—and the revolution of 1848 in France —which Tocqueville recounts in his Souvenirs. Discussing the relation between Tocqueville and populism may seem like an anachronism. However, the main components of populism—such as the direct appeal to the people, the charismatic leader, the ideological polarization that divides the world in friends and enemies, among others—were well-known to Tocqueville and his contemporaries. In general terms, contemporary populist politics would have been called demagogic during the nineteenth century. How did Tocqueville face demagogic politics during his time? It is easy to say that he was critical of demagogues. However, we can ask about the reasons for this criticism, as well as about Tocqueville's understanding of what we would today call populist leadership and its consequences. ; Este trabajo analiza la perspectiva de Alexis de Tocqueville sobre el populismo en dos momentos y lugares específicos: su viaje a América a principios de la década de 1830 y la revolución de 1848 en Francia. Aunque puede parecer anacrónico discutir la relación entre Alexis de Tocqueville y el populismo, los componentes centrales del populismo le eran conocidos a Tocqueville y a sus contemporáneos; probablemente los hubieran comprendido como una peculiar forma de demagogia. ¿Cómo se enfrentó Tocqueville al fenómeno de la política demagógica en su tiempo? Podemos adivinar con cierta facilidad que su posición frente a los demagogos fue crítica. Sin embargo, ¿cuáles fueron las razones de esa oposición? ¿Cuál era el entendimiento que Tocqueville tenía del liderazgo, los fundamentos y las consecuencias de lo que hoy llamaríamos populismo? Tocqueville and populism Abstract This paper analyzes Alexis de Tocqueville's perspective on populism in two different places and moments in time: his trip to America at the beginning of the 1830s—which coincided with Andrew Jackson's presidency—and the revolution of 1848 in France —which Tocqueville recounts in his Souvenirs. Discussing the relation between Tocqueville and populism may seem like an anachronism. However, the main components of populism—such as the direct appeal to the people, the charismatic leader, the ideological polarization that divides the world in friends and enemies, among others—were well-known to Tocqueville and his contemporaries. In general terms, contemporary populist politics would have been called demagogic during the nineteenth century. How did Tocqueville face demagogic politics during his time? It is easy to say that he was critical of demagogues. However, we can ask about the reasons for this criticism, as well as about Tocqueville's understanding of what we would today call populist leadership and its consequences. Keywords: Alexis de Tocqueville, populism, Democracy in America, revolutions of 1848.

A contribution to a symposium, "Ten Years from Now," expresses skepticism about making predictions on social or political life because what happens is so often the result of "weird combinations of stray contingencies." Nonetheless, it is suggested that the next 10 years are likely to produce a new breed of liberals intent on discussing such things as equality, hegemony, alterity, & an emancipatory politics. These intellectuals will be supplemented by another band of men that are huddled over computers focused on modeling. Although they are immersed in Tocqueville, they are wise enough not to be captivated by his grandiose historical claims & they understand that if one makes enough predictions some of them will come true. They are motivated by Tocqueville's sustained ambivalence about equality & his interest in finding aristocratic substance under Jacobin forms but they reject his priority thesis. These future theorists may give in to a "debased taste for leveling equality" in which case they will give more power to the state which in turn will control more & more of social life. J. Lindroth