The issue of slavery and racial oppression were of marginal concern to Tocqueville's Democracy in America, argues Nimtz (political science, U. of Minnesota), much to that revered work's detriment. Marx, on the other hand, placed slavery at the heart of his description of American politics, thus demonstrating a more accurate and insightful understanding of democracy in the United States. The reason Marx was able to do this lay in his central understanding of the material conditions of political realities, whereby he avoids Tocqueville's characterization of racial issues as related merely to "mores" or customs. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
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