Chapter 1, Introductory Summary and Analysis

Almost immediately, the author makes it clear that when he refers to liberty he means societal liberty. The focus is the 'rights of man within the state or nation.' As Britain was but one example of an aristocracy, he proceeds to show how this developed amongst the people as a method of opposing, not a beloved and trustworthy monarch, but to guard against and to thwart the powers of tyranny within a given nation.

He goes on to put this into historical context should readers not be aware of how this has been addressed over the centuries. He does not confine his criticisms to his own nation but addresses the situations throughout Europe. There was a Continental attitude towards 'self-government' as an idea that was international. For American readers, he explains that Europeans have a unique sense of...