The study gives a critical analysis of the America and Russia concept of two authors of the same period and social background – Tocqueville and Custine. While the former – although his class background and mentality attached him to the ancien regime – recognizes the progressive features of the American society, the latter condemns not only the barbarism of tsarism, but he also thinks that the whole Russian nation is barbaric. The study uses two different time dimensions; and also investigates to what extent these authors may be regarded as timely today.