Soft tyranny is an idea first developed by Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1835 work titled Democracy in America. It is described as the individualist preference for equality and its pleasures, requiring the state – as a tyrant majority or a benevolent authority – to step in and adjudicate.
Soft tyranny is an idea pioneered by Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1835 book Democracy in America. This concept highlights how individuals value equality and its advantages, prompting the state to take on a mediating role – whether as a dominant majority or a benevolent authority – in making decisions.