Aldous Huxley on modern democracy

By means of ever more effective methods of mind manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms... elections, parliaments, supreme courts and all the rest... will remain. 

The underlying substance will be a new kind of Totalitarianism.  All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly like they were in the good old days.  Democracy & freedom will be the theme of every broadcast & editorial.  Meanwhile, the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite will quietly run the show as they see fit.

~ Aldous Huxley, 1962