In Democracy In America , Tocqueville described liberty as the ultimate political value. He predicted that eventually social classes would disappear. In his book his greatest fear in a democracy was the tyranny of the majority. However, he broke new ground by focusing on democratic despotism of society rather than that of government. Tocqueville disagrees with classical liberals from Locke to Madison, writing that this is caused by too much agreement in society.
Majorities tend to silence and suppress opposing opinions.
Many individuals quietly submit to majority tyranny because of the belief that public opinion is right. He said this kind of suppression is degrading to all men. He wrote that democracy was the irresistible future.