Crisis of democracy as separation of democracy and liberalism

Abstract

This article analyzes the crisis of contemporary democracy, focusing on the complex relationship between populism, technocracy and liberal democracy, showing that when one talks about a “crisis of democracy”, he is actually referring to the crisis of liberal democracy, or the separation between democracy and liberalism again, as it was before they merged at the end of the 19th century. It will be investigated how these phenomena interact and affect political institutions and the stability of political systems around the world. The study considers the hypothesis that the growth of populism and of technocracy poses a threat to liberal democracy, examining the degree of intensity of this tension. The methodology includes a narrative review of relevant theoretical works, the synthesis of their main points and the analysis of economic and political factors. The results indicate that the threat varies between central and peripheral countries, and in general it is still impossible to declare the end of democratic regimes.