In this article, we critically analyze the phenomenon of the crisis of democracy emerging in different parts of the world and propose that the solution to the problem lies in an appreciation of the contentious dynamics presented by social movements. We explain to what extent the problems of legitimacy of representative political systems have been caused by the historical dynamics imposed by neoliberalism, through a process of social de-democratization, and we expose the difficulties that exist in the political field itself to finding alternatives to populism. On this basis, we maintain that social movements and their actions provide the foundations for a democratic configuration of society.