Cromwell in England leaps to mind.
Hitler, Lenin, Mussolini, Putin, and Franco all have in common that they came to power in nations that did not have modern democratic traditions of any great length -- a decade or so perhaps. We have about 240 years of democratic traditions (albeit flawed ones).
Having said all of that, I see these issues:
- Post WWII, white suburban America came into being, and it (as a population segment) has enjoyed an unprecedented run of prosperity. Sure, it's had ups and downs; put compared to Pre WW II America, these folks have it very good. Law, order, nice yards, good schools, lower crime rates. Constitutional freedom and fairness seem very abstract to these folks. Law, order, church, access to big box stores, and keeping whatever weirdness you are into hidden seems to make for a pleasant lifestyle. This is a group that, all and all, sees a more authoritarian government as a good thing as long as their taxes don't go up.
- Despite schools and economists telling America since the 70s that we were headed toward a service economy, now that we've arrived, people are in shock. Despite schools and economists telling people that you'd need education beyond high school, many Americans chose to ignore that. They are unprepared for an economy that isn't based on steel mills and coal mines, and are desperate for a return to the good old days. If you think it's bad now - give it time. Those truckers that Donald Trump sees as the life blood of America will be (most likely) unemployed in droves in a decade as drivers are replaced by robots.
- Over representation and the diversity gap. We all took civics, and we understand that the whole point of the Senate is to level the playing field between the big and small states. However, the degree of "out of level" has gotten absurd -- to the point that DC has more people than Wyoming and Vermont. Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in Florida combine to have a population (based on 2015 figures) greater than the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana. The differences are two fold: 1) the four states get 8 senators; the three counties share two with the rest of Florida and 2) Dade/ Broward/ Palm Beach are very diverse, and virtually all races are represented; I'm not exaggerating when I say that there are parts of those four states where it is not uncommon to go a day and not see a non-white face (especially outside of larger towns like Omaha, Lincoln, Fargo, Sioux Falls). Unless/until states like Florida, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, and Texas break up into smaller states, and until we admit Puerto Rico and DC as states, the Senate won't truly represent the US as a whole. That makes for continued over representation of white conservatives in 1/2 our legislature.
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