The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the democratic system in the western world is in backsliding, what the comprehensive causes of the current democratic backsliding are, and how one could objectively investigate the phenomenon of democratic backsliding. Qualitative research method was applied. First of all, this thesis is founded on the conceptual meaning of electoral democracy. On that foundation, I have searched for evidence of backsliding in the liberal western world. To analyze the internal and external causes of the democratic backsliding. Then this thesis specifically analyzed the important manifestations of the democratic backsliding in Europe, the rise of racism or populism and right-wing parties. The Judicial reform in Poland has a unique signification, which is the first country in which the European Commission got to judge a member state for violating the independence of Judicial system and undermine the rule of law. In this thesis I use Poland as an example to demonstrate the democratic backsliding. However, Hungary is on the watch list as well. It should be noted that such judgements are part of the competence of the Commission. However, the European Council, composed of heads of state and government, is rather reluctant to impose penalties on them. Finally, democratic backsliding was examined in the study. It discovered that the results of the democratic backsliding are caused by many factors. One of the most important factors is that in the context of globalization, the profits and sense of unjustified earning differences between the various countries and different classes of people, which are very unequal and uneven. The principle conclusion was that the topic of democratic backsliding is more of a value judgement about fairness based on previous understanding of Western electoral democracy. In particular, the change over from post-war welfare liberalism, in which the state provided social protection against market forces, to neo-liberalism, in which market forces could run more or less unguided by the state, reversed the trend from income convergence to income divergence. No system is perfect and democratic is not a one-path way. Solving economic problems, adapting to the trend of globalization, and effectively improving people's living standards are the fundamental ways to deal with the democratic backsliding. Key Words: Democracy; Democratic backsliding; Populism; European; Poland