Contenidos : Preface (pages ix–xiv)
Prologue: The Spirit of Moderation in Constitutional Democracy (pp. 1–16)

Part I: Tocquevillean Moderation in Philosophy and Founding

Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Moderation: Natural Right, Liberalism, Constitutionalism (pp. 22–49)

Washington’s Harmony: The Balance of Traditions in the American Founding (pp. 50–77)

Tocqueville’s Deepening of Modern Moderation (pp. 78–104)

Part II: Moderation and Statesmanship, at Home and Abroad

Religion and Liberty in America: The Moderate Spirit of Montesquieu and Tocqueville (pp. 109–142)

Moderation, American Grand Strategy, and Washington’s Statesmanship (pp. 143–172)

Constitutionalist Political Science: Storing’s Moderation and Our Polarization (pp. 173–198)

Epilogue: Moderation and Sustainability (pp. 199–203)
Bibliography (pp. 204–224)
Index (pp. 225–230)

Democracy in Moderation argues that political moderation is a foundational but often overlooked principle of constitutional liberal democracy. Paul O. Carrese examines how two major thinkers—Montesquieu and Alexis de Tocqueville—developed moderation as a practical and moral guide for sustaining free political systems.

Carrese contends that modern liberal democracies face dangers from ideological extremism, polarization, and moral absolutism, which weaken institutions and civic trust. By revisiting Montesquieu’s theory of separation of powers and Tocqueville’s analysis of democracy in America, the book shows how moderation balances liberty and equality, freedom and order, religion and politics.

Rather than promoting passivity or centrism, moderation is presented as an active constitutional virtue—one that requires prudence, restraint, and institutional design to channel democratic energies productively. The book ultimately proposes moderation as essential for the long-term sustainability of liberal democracy, especially in pluralistic societies.