Ochlocracy (ὀχλοκρατία), an abuse into which a democratic government slides, when the vulgar populace is the sole master of affairs. This word comes from the Greek for multitude , ὄχλος, and power , κράτος.

Ochlocracy must be seen as the degradation of a democratic government: but it happens sometimes that this word, in the sense in which we use it, suggests not so much a real defect or a true sickness of the state, as much as some specific passions or discontents which cause warnings to be raised against the current government. The haughty souls who would not know how to suffer the equality of a popular state, seeing that in this government each has the right of suffrage in the assemblies where the affairs of the republic are dealt with, and that therefore the populace makes up there the greatest number, wrongly call this state an ochlocracy ; as they would call a government where the rabble is master, and where persons of distinguished merit, such as they think themselves, have no advantage over others; this is to forget that such is the essential constitution of a popular government, that all the citizens equally have their voice in the affairs which concern the public welfare. But, says Cicero, one would have reason to consider as an ochlocracy a republic in which some sort of ordinance was issued by the people similar to that of the ancient Ephesians, who, according to the philosopher Hermodorus, declared that no one among them should distinguish himself from the others by his merit: Nemo de nobis unus excellat . [1]

1. “Let no single one of us excel [over the others]”. Quoted in Cicero. Tusculanae Quaestiones. Bk. V. Ch. xxxvi.