Under- or miseducated electorates will favor despotic leadership for the despot will play to their equally misguided wants and desires, and emotions. Values?
The American political right understood this all too well and moved into action. Through economic seduction and cultural parasitism, as well as cheer monkeysee-monkey-do, other power hungry are using the system.
What system?
The system of depressing everything below the upperclass, manipulating their realities via consumerism and finally taking advantage of their corruption.