Alexis de Tocqueville and defense of liberty in egalitarian conditions

Ovaj rad se bavi problematikom koju uzrokuje jednakost uvjeta po pitanju slobode pojedinca u demokratskom društvu, pozivajući se prvenstveno na djelo O demokraciji u Americi, francuskog autora Alexisa de Tocquevillea. To djelo je napisano u nadi da će se Europa, pa tako i sav post-feudalni svijet, ugledati na američku demokraciju i njezina rješenja problema koji su imanentni demokratskome društvu. Treba naglasiti kako Tocqueville ne karakterizira demokratski sustav kao nešto negativno po sebi, već upozorava na neizmjeran potencijal da se naruši politička sloboda, ukoliko se dopusti kruta centralizacija vlasti, a pojedinac zanemari svoju ulogu i dužnost spram društva. Nadalje, jednakost uvjeta i ugroza slobode, tjeraju Tocquevillea na apel za borbu protiv konformizma, negativnog individualizma i tiranije većine. Autor ističe kako je važnost aktivizma građana putem slobodnih ustanova, upravo u tome što se radi o borbi protiv problema koji su realno rješivi. Zbog ovoga je u radu stavljen naglasak na priznavanje Tocquevillea kao klasičnog autora koji prikazuje čovjeka kao društvenog aktera koji ima moralnu obvezu spram kolektiva, pa tako i samoga sebe.This paper deals with problematics that are caused by equality of rights in the sphere of individual's freedom in democratic society, mainly refering to a work called Democracy in America, by French author Alexis de Tocqueville. This work was written in hopes that Europe, and all other post-feudal coutnries, would look up to American democracy and its solutions to problems that are imanent to democratic society. It should be noted that Tocqueville doesnt characterise democratic system as something negative per se, but he alerts of it's immeasureable potential to disrupt political freedom, if we allow hardcore centralization of the authorities, and if the individual neglects his role and duty towards the society. Furthermore, equality of rights and endangerment of freedom, force Tocqueville to call for help against conformism, negative individualism and tirany of the majority. The author claims that the importance of civic activism is shown trough free establishments, precisely because it's the matter of activism against problems that are realistically solvable. It is because of this reason that there is an emphasise in the paper to recognize Tocqueville as a classic author who presents man as social acter who has moral obligation towards the collective, and in the same way, towards himself