Interesting, I would like to float here an alternative idea of how democracies work.

In ecology you have the Diversity-Stability Theorem. Basically, if an ecosystem is more diverse then you have more stability since there are more feedback loops.

Democracies are messy and complex with many powerful competing actors, its impossible to work out what is going on. In ecological terms this is a diverse system.

Authoritarian rule is simpler, there are only a few powerful actors and just one most poweful. What they say goes. This is more like a monoculture than a diverse ecological system and needs constant input of toxic chemicals (oppression) to maintain.

It might seem strange to characterise democracies as more stable in the current mayhem but if we look at life under authoritarian rule we can see the difference. Life in Mao's China involved massive and brutal upheavals to peoples live's (Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution) resulting in many deaths. This cannot be described as stability! Authoritarian rule can give a false sense of stability but sooner or later power will go to the leaders head and chaos will result.