The price Alexis de Tocqueville is allotted every two years to a man (or with a woman) who was illustrated by his humanism and his attachment with the Public freedoms, thus perpetuating the thought of Alexis de Tocqueville. It was created in 1979 on the initiative of Pierre Godefroy, with the assistance of Alain Peyrefitte. It is decreed by an association which has its seat with Valognes (Handle) and that the old sénatrice UMP Anne Heinis chairs today. A check of 15.000 € is given to the prize winner.

One should not confuse this price with its homonym, the price Alexis de Tocqueville, which the European Institute of public administration (IEAP) decrees, based with Maastricht (Netherlands).

Prizes winner

• 1979 : Raymond Aron (France),
• 1981: David Riesman (the USA), given by Valery Giscard d'Estaing
• 1983: Alexandre Zinoviev (Russia), given by Simone Veil
• 1985: Karl Popper (Austria)
• 1987: Louis Dumont (France)
• 1989: Octavio Paz (Mexico), given by François Mitterrand
• 1991: François Pipe cleaner (France)
• 1993: Leszek Kołakowski (Poland)
• 1995: not decreed
• 1997: Michel Crozier (France)
• 1999: Daniel Bell (the USA), given by Alain Peyrefitte
• 2001: not decreed
• 2003: Pierre Hassner (France)
• 2005: Colin Powell (the USA), given by Valery Giscard d'Estaing