Though well-known for his political and social commentary, De Tocqueville devoted considerable attention throughout his life to issues of political economy. He was well-versed in the economic writings of thinkers like Jacques Turgot, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. De Tocqueville also explored some of the pressing economic topics of his time in texts such as his Memoir on Pauperism (1835).

Educated Europeans of De Tocqueville’s era were well-aware of the burgeoning economic power of the American republic that he visited for 10 months between 1831 and 1832. In Democracy in America, however, De Tocqueville’s thoughts on economic topics revolved around questions concerning the effects of democracy upon government expenditures.
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