Abstract

Democratic constitutionalism was the victorious ideology of the 20th century, having defeated the alternatives that presented themselves over the decades: communism, fascism, Nazism, military regimes, and religious fundamentalism. However, in these first decades of the 21st century, something seems not to be going well. Some describe it as a democratic recession. The article identifies three phenomena that lie behind this historical process: populism, extremism, and authoritarianism, as well as their political, economic-social, and cultural-identity causes. Then, after an analysis of the world context, the article focuses on the Brazilian experience in recent years, narrating the threats to constitutional legality and the reaction of institutions. In the final part, the limits and possibilities of the constitutional courts in their role of defending constitutionalism and democracy are discussed.

Keywords:
Constitutionalism; Democracy; Populism; Extremism; Authoritarianism; Supremas cortes; Cortes constitucionais