tyranny of the masses
Democracy's dark side
Tyranny of the masses is a political concept where majority rule tramples minority rights or individual freedoms.
Democratic processes can produce oppressive outcomes when the majority imposes its will without restraint: The founders feared a tyranny of the masses as much as monarchy.
Also called tyranny of the majority.
- majoritarianismRule by greatest number
- mob ruleDominance by unruly crowds
- French RevolutionLate-1700s republican upheaval
- reign of terrorPeriod of violent oppression
- crowd psychologyStudy of group influence
populism · apartheid · mob mentality · hive mind · deindividuation · groupthink · conformity · silent majority · Jim Crow laws · constitutionalism · Salem witch trials · democracy · authoritarianism · thought police · republicanism · social pressure · John Stuart Mill · mass hysteria
tyranny of the massesoligarchy
Rule by few
autocracy · despotism · dictatorship · absolute monarchy · plutocracy
tyranny of the massesconstitutional democracy
Rule by people, bounded by law
rule of law · liberal democracy · republican government · constitutional republic · limited government
tyranny of the massesindividual liberty
One's own protected rights
civil liberties · judicial review · pluralism · minority rights · constitutional protections
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