Interesting you mention that, prior to World War II, Democracy was defined as “Rule by the masses. Attitude toward property communistic. Results in license, anarchy, discontent. Mobocracy”.
After World War II, the popular definition was changed to this vague, anodyne, freedom sounding boilerplate. The official line on AFRTS public service slots was that only Democracy could keep a country free of despotism or dictators, it wouldn’t be possible for totalitarianism, the people wouldn’t never allow it.
Some of the old broadcasts haven’t aged very well at all.
Democracy, like the German “Democratic” Republic. Or The “Democratic” Peoples Republic of Korea.
I would say the threshold is WWI, the blurring of the distinction rapidly picked up pace during and after WWII.