L'idee de democratie aux etats-unis, de 1828 a 1844, a travers les ecrits d'orestes a. Brownson
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Abstract EN:
This work aims at bringing out, in the jacksonian era (1828-1844), the contradictions and the ambiguities of american political practice and theory, through the writings of an antebellum thinker. At the time when tocqueville hailed the emergence of a democratic "equality of conditions", orestes a. Brownson (1803-1876) offered a critical commentary on the young democracy. The complexity of the route travelled by this preacher and chronicler in the 1820s-1840s, who went from sect to sect, participated in the new york workingmen's party, took part in the boston transcendentalist club, followed the democratic party, then left politics to convert to catholicism in 1844, offers the methodological frame for this study. At the crossroads of various trends and schools of thought, this author was involved in the major debates of the era, in the magazines which he published and to which he contributed, where he exchanged views with his american and european counterparts. The diversity of his interests make him a central, if not representative, witness of modern democracy in the making. By taking the republic of the founding fathers as a model, o. Brownson was constantly looking for "true" democracy, which could reflect the general will and achieve social as well as political equality. He who was called " a marxist before marx" analysed in a provocative way the extension of suffrage, the emergence of inequalities in the "market revolution", the need for strong government and the importance of virtue in politics. Studying this character who was neglected because of his extreme choices provides an answer to historiographical questions on the nature of this hegemonic model of liberal democracy.
Abstract FR:
Il s'agit de faire ressortir, a l'epoque jacksonienne (1828-1844), soit cinquante apres la creation de la republique americaine, les contradictions et les ambiguites contenues dans la pratique et la philosophie politiques americaines, a partir de la pensee d'un auteur ayant ecrit avant la guerre de secession. A l'epoque meme ou tocqueville salue l'emergence d'une democratie ou regne "l'egalite des conditions", orestes a. Brownson (1803-1876) fournit un commentaire critique sur la jeune democratie americaine. Le parcours complexe de ce pasteur et chroniqueur des annees 1820-1840, qui va de secte en secte, accompagne un temps le parti des travailleurs de new york, participe au club des transcendantalistes a boston, soutien le parti democrate au pouvoir, puis se detourne de la politique pour se convertir au catholicisme en 1844, constitue le cadre de cette etude. Au carrefour de plusieurs tendances et modes de pensee, notre auteur prend part aux principaux debats de son temps, dans les revues qu'il edite et auxquelles il participe, ou il instaure des echanges avec ses contemporains americains ou europeens. La diversite de ses interets en font un temoin central, sinon representatif, de l'elaboration de la democratie au sens moderne du terme. Prenant pour modele la republique des peres fondateurs, o. Brownson est a la recherche de la "vraie" democratie, celle qui saura refleter la volonte generale et realiser une egalite politique et sociale. Celui qu'on a appele un "marxiste avant marx"analyse de maniere provocatrice l'extension du suffrage, l'emergence des inegalites dans la "revolution du marche", la necessite d'un etat fort a une epoque qui prone le laissez-faire et l'importance de la vertu en politique. L'etude de ce personnage oublie en raison de ses choix extremes offre une reponse aux interrogations historiographiques contemporaines sur la nature de ce modele hegemonique de democratie liberale.