The phrase “tyranny of the majority” (or “tyranny of the masses“) is used in discussing systems of democracy and majority rule.
It involves a scenario in which decisions made by a majority place its interests above those of an individual or minority group, constituting active oppression comparable to that of a tyrant or despot.
In many cases a disliked ethnic, religious, political, or racial group is deliberately penalized by the majority element acting through the democratic process.
