tyranny of the majority
Democratic oppression problem
Tyranny of the majority describes a situation where the will of the majority tramples the rights or interests of minorities.
The phrase warns that democratic rule can oppress as surely as any dictator if unchecked by constitutional protections: The founders feared tyranny of the majority as much as tyranny of kings.
The concern animates debates over civil liberties, judicial review, and minority rights.
- mob ruleDominance by unruly crowds
- majoritarianismRule by greatest number
- bandwagon effectAdopting trends through imitation
- representative governmentRule by elected officials
- social contractAgreement exchanging freedom for order
collectivism · groupthink · John Stuart Mill · apartheid · factionalism · peer pressure · Jim Crow laws · segregation · crowd · social conformity · cancel culture · witch hunt · public opinion · freedom of speech · dissenting voice · herd mentality · mob · popular sovereignty
tyranny of the majorityoligarchy
Rule by few
plutocracy · autocracy · dictatorship · despotism · technocracy
tyranny of the majorityminority rights
Safeguards for underrepresented populations
constitutional safeguards · individual rights · civil liberties · bill of rights · judicial review
tyranny of the majorityliberal democracy
Rights-based elected governance
constitutional democracy · pluralism · republican government · federalism · subsidiarity
tyranny, tyrant, tyrants, tyrannies, tyrannical, tyrannically, tyrannize, tyrannized, tyrannizing