technically, Brazil is no in "the west" (no European and most Americans will agree that Brazilians are not westerners). And it is turning totalitarian because the people is no longer needed to wage wars. Democracy was created because the elites needed the people to work as cannon fodder in the armies, and empowering them and making them think they were protecting "their" country and "their" way of life helped them fight harder and reduced "draft dodging". Now we have drones to die for the state, and have far fewer wars to begin with. The people is no longer needed, there is no reason to allow them to participate in the decision making. They are also figuring out that we do not need a large meddle class to keep the consumption levels high. Government can consume in the name of the people. So capitalism, not only democracy, is also at risk in the long run.