Social inequality as an existential threat to liberal democracy

The article examines the problem of worsening social inequality as a systemic challenge to the stability of liberal democracy. The author aims to identify the casual links between the growth of economic stratification and the erosion of key democratic practices and institutions that can lead to a complete loss of democracy. Based on the political and economic analysis, it is proved that the concentration of wealth leads to the concentration of political influence, which undermines the principle of equal representation of "one person– one vote". Such a gap creates a sense of alienation from the political system among citizens, which creates an environment for the growth of political apathy and populism, leading to disillusionment with the democratic form of government and generating a demand for the formation of an authoritarian form of government. Ignoring the problem of inequality thus poses a direct threat to the very existence of liberal democracy, which destroys the citizens' faith in the justice of power.