Liberalism and democracy Liberalismo e democracia

In this essay, the historical connections between liberalism and democracy are analyzed, based mostly on three important authors of the French liberal thought of the first half of the 19th century: Benjamin Constant (1767-1830), Fran ois Guizot (1787-1874) e Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). Although, the Author doesn’t forget to highlight the contemporary issues which demand confronting and elucidating the chances of democracy. Keywords: French Liberalism. Democracy. Political Philosophy. Tolerance. S o aqui examinadas as rela es históricas entre liberalismo e democracia, com base principalmente em três importantes autores do pensamento liberal francês da primeira metade do século XIX: Benjamin Constant (1767-1830), Fran ois Guizot (1787-1874) e Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). Contudo, o Autor n o deixa de lan ar luz sobre as quest es contemporaneas que exigem enfrentar e elucidar as chances da democracia. Palavras-chave: Liberalismo francês. Democracia. Filosofia política. Tolerancia.