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This is my theory of the utility of mass delusions and the breakdown of governments. You kind of need the theory to follow the next steps. I formulated this theory in the mid-90's when I was studying Classics seriously.

Democracy is a beneficial Delusion: It is my belief that a lot of the elements of modern life are actually massive delusions. I generally use paper money as an example of this. It used to be backed by specie (gold and/or silver). Eventually it ceased to be backed by anything. In an objective sense, it's just a piece of paper with no intrinsic value. I can exchange it for stuff that does have intrinsic value, like food, clothes, or CDs, because everyone believes it has value. If a crucial percentage of people cease to believe in the value of currency, it collapses. People will no longer accept it in exchange for goods and services. This happens periodically in countries around the World. Money works on faith, just like Dumbo with his feather.

Governmental Systems are actually delusions as well. Republics and Democracies are particularly reliant on faith by their very nature. (I don't want to get into the argument about the definition of these). Think about it. Popular systems work because a crucial portion of the populace believe in the system even if they never vote. They believe that the system is reasonably fair. They believe that their vote counts. They believe that if they write/complain to their representative or patron they'll be heard. If enough people stop believing, the system collapses.

It is my belief that this is what happened to the Roman Republic. The Oligarchs violated the law too many times. People tried to correct this through the system and were murdered for their trouble, proving that the system no longer worked. Everyone lost faith in the system and this impatience led to increased strife. Thence followed Civil War.