Abstract

Unlike the rest of Europe, in Italy Tocqueville has been the focus of an uninterrupted attention. The article covers the principal phases that have marked this developing interest: from the young Cavour's enthusiasm for Tocqueville's "De la Démocratie en Amérique" to the early Italian translation of this work in the 1880s; from the analyses of Ruffini and Salvemini to interpretations seeking to find points of reference during the affirmation of the Fascist regime; from De Ruggiero's reflections on liberalism to those of Omodeo, an active promoter of translations of Tocqueville's lesser known works; from the studies of Candeloro in the 1930's to the new phase of interest during the post-war period.