This article examines the relationship between populism, democratic backsliding, autocratization, polarization, and institutional resilience through a theoretically integrated analysis of the references provided. Drawing strictly on classic and contemporary scholarship on democracy, democratic transition, illiberalism, populism, and democratic decline, the study argues that contemporary threats to democracy cannot be understood as isolated electoral anomalies or temporary crises of representation. Rather, they must be interpreted as manifestations of deeper tensions within democratic development itself, including unresolved conflicts between majority rule and liberal restraint, widening gaps between popular sovereignty and institutional mediation, increasing polarization, and the strategic exploitation of democratic legitimacy by anti-pluralist political actors (Dahl, 1991; Diamond, 2015; Levitsky & Ziblatt, 2018; Mudde, 2022). The article shows that democratic erosion frequently unfolds from within rather than through overt coups, with elected leaders weakening norms, undermining accountability, capturing institutions, and delegitimizing opposition while retaining the language of democratic authorization (Boese & Lührmann, 2020; Levitsky & Way, 2010; Pappas, 2021). It further argues that cultural backlash, identity conflict, and the restructuring of public discourse under digital and data-driven conditions intensify this process by increasing susceptibility to populist narratives and institutional distrust (Inglehart & Norris, 2017; Mounk, 2023; Tufekci, 2014). Methodologically, the article employs an interpretive qualitative synthesis of the supplied literature. The findings suggest that democracy is endangered not only by authoritarian ambition but also by democratic fatigue, civic polarization, weak intermediating institutions, and the normalization of illiberal practices. At the same time, the study identifies sources of democratic resilience in institutional design, norm maintenance, pluralist culture, and political self-restraint (Levitsky & Way, 2022; Linz & Stepan, 1996). The article concludes that defending democracy today requires more than electoral continuity; it requires renewing liberal-democratic commitments, rebuilding trust, reducing polarization, and strengthening the cultural and institutional foundations of democratic consolidation.

Democracy, populism, democratic backsliding

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