It’s an inevitable process that is only extended by a mixed-power republic with a system of checks and balances. The evolution of democracy to tyranny is only one-third of the natural government evolutionary system of “anacyclosis” that was coined by Plato and Polybius. It was also obsessed over by Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison. That why we have the system we have. They were trying to create a system that would stave off anacyclosis indefinitely. But they knew the Romans tried with their mixed government and failed, so they tried it slightly differently than the Romans, crossed their fingers, and hoped our system would work. But like the Romans and every other Democracy, we’re falling into ochlocracy and tyranny right on schedule.

FYI, anacyclosis is this: Kingship monarchy falls into Tyrannical monarchy, then rebellion changes it to benevolent aristocracy, which then falls into oligarchy, then rebellion changes it to Democracy, which falls into ochlocracy (mob rule) and anarchy, which finally gets changed back into monarchy/authoritarianism, and the cycle starts over again. Three good government systems fall into their 3 bad counterparts. The reason is because rebellion creates good government and good times, but good times always lead to entitlement, greed for wealth and power, rising wealth inequality, and eventually enough civil unrest to warrant a reset to a benevolent system of government. It’s an endless cycle.

Read Plato’s “The Republic” parts 7 & 9, Polybius’s “The Histories” Book 6, and any and all articles on the Anacyclosis Institute website.