Erik Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, who freely acknowledges his intellectual debt to Tocqueville, also wrote perceptively on the intense leveling pressures which democracy, when merged with the modern administrative state, exert on organic societies (1974, 27-35). In terms of praxis, every healthy regime necessarily admits of certain aristocratic qualities in its rulers and under such conditions is amenable to a wide array of political constitutions; but modern mass democracy, scornful of real diversity, that is, of merit and character, inclines inevitably towards totalitarian modes of thinking.

This is arguable all the more so in a people (such as Americans may still constitute one) long since glutted on material comfort and technological convenience, since, having grown lax in the exercise of civic virtues, they are less alert to the implicit dangers of participating in mob behavior.

Works cited:

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America: Historical-Critical Edition of ‘De la démocratie en Amérique’. Volume One, ed. Eduardo Nolla (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2010)

Erik Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Leftism: From de Sade and Marx to Hitler and Marcuse (New Rochelle, Arlington House Publishers, 1974)