It seems like it happens when democracy fails to produce the decisions that seem "obvious" to the general public.

It was obvious to the Germans in Weimar that the nation should assert itself, refuse to honor the treaty of Versailles, and rearm.  But none of the elected governments would do that.  So a man who promised that if he was elected, it would be the last election looked like a promising figure.

It makes me worry about America right now.  There is widespread belief that our government cannot actually solve problems.

The latest form of anti-democracy is anarcho-capitalist libertarianism.  Where government basically only exists to see that contracts are enforced and powerful corporations control the rest of society.  That sounds like a nightmare to me, but some people think it sounds like a paradise.