The American right has been like this since at least the civil war with the Confederates, if not even further back, going back to the elitists during the founding of the country who “compromised” with the anti-elitists to have less democracy, like having the senate consist of two voting members per state, regardless of population, the electoral college, allowing slavery to exist, and no federal direct ballot initiatives.

Because the elites know best, right?

Hitler specifically took inspiration from the Confederacy for his Third Reich.